Campaigns

HAG HOUSING INFONIGHT: PUTTING HOUSING ISSUES ON THE AGENDA FOR CHANGE

Members of Hackney Anarchist Group have first hand experience of homelessness and insecure housing. We organised an infonight on Tuesday, 25^th October, 2011 at the Marcon and Apsland Community Centre in Amhurst Road to share knowledge and plan collective strategies for action against plans by central and local government which are making housing in Hackney an urgent issue.

Hackney is one of the five Olympic boroughs and, as such, is already suffering from the social and ethnic cleansing which has been smuggled in with plans for a mega event which, despite the rhetoric, will NOT benefit local people. A case in point is the removal of tenants from the Clays Lane Estate and a projected rise in the cost of private rented accommodation which gives landlords the opportunity to cash in by evicting existing tenants or restricting their leases to clear the way for Olympic related tenancies. The much trumpeted Olympic ‘legacy’ which promises ‘affordable’ housing is, in reality, a boon to landlords rather than tenants from the local area. Housing that is considered ‘affordable’ is set at 80% of market rent but if events like the Olympics have inflated prices, the 80% is still likely to be out of the reach of, for example, people on benefits or in low paid jobs. Hackney is a very desirable location for people with jobs in the city as evidenced by the gentrification that is already well underway. Any jobs that are created as part of the so called ‘legacy’ are likely to be low paid with the knock on effect that people who are unable to afford to live in the borough will effectively have their income reduced by the cost of travel to and from work. Equally, the number of people in ‘fuel poverty’ is expected to rise with the coming winter, clearing the way for more evictions when people are faced with the choice between heating their homes and paying the rent.

But the fact is that the coming of the Olympics only serves to highlight issues that have for some years been a cause of struggles between Hackney Council and the tenants who occupy its social housing. Tenants of Marcon and Apsland estates, for instance, have successfully fought successive plans to sell off whole blocks to housing associations (specifically Family Mosaic) and to build on their green spaces and recreational facilities. The secretary of Marcon and Apsland Tenants Association stressed the importance of collective action in defending homes against development plans which are sold as ‘improvements’ but are, in reality, a means for the council to raise extra revenue, indirectly, by relinquishing responsibility to provide secure housing for Hackney’s most impoverished residents. At the time of the most intense struggle, thirty estates across Hackney formed themselves into the Estates Plus Action Group to send deputations to the Council and protest outside the town hall. In the face of this solidarity, Hackney Council has backed down twice. A third proposal was scuppered by the recession but this does not mean that plans to dispose of estates considered not economically viable have been abandoned. The council has admitted that the ‘Decent Homes’ initiative, due to re-commence this December will not include redevelopment. What this means is that, despite proposed improvements, already dilapidated estates will continue to deteriorate to the point that they will be unsafe to live in.

Nor have all estates across Hackney experienced the same success in combating plans to hand their homes over to Housing Associations. The Colville estate, for instance, contains 500 flats and 2000 residents but there is no cohesive community due to ethnic and linguistic diversity. Also, the Tenants and Residents Association has not proved itself to be on the side of the tenants. However, council workers in Hackney proved unexpected allies and the original sell off plans were abondoned but are being revived in a more aggressive form with the involvement of architects who propose to ‘increase the density’ of housing on the estate with the most desirable blocks being for private sale. The lesson from the Colville’s encounter with the combined aggression of Hackney Council, Metropolitan Housing Trust and their architects is that there are three ways for tenants to fight:

• Lobbying/political action
• Challenging planning permission (needs organising and expertise)
• Challenging the legality of the plans (ditto).

With this in mind, representatives from six organisations with experience of organising against changes to housing law and challenging the decisions of councils and central government shared their expertise and gave an overview of what we are up against in defending our right to secure homes and how we can fight:

Defend Council Housing

Defend Council Housing has a national presence because it is supported by Labour MPs and unions including Unison and Unite. They are apprised of government plans and are clear that there will be no more council housing if this government is voted in for another term. Policies are already making it difficult for people to access social housing and proposed plans will significantly reduce the advantages of social housing by allowing rents to rise to market determined levels. Furthermore, housing associations have had their development money taken away. The government wants to move towards a situation where all new tenancies are at rents which correspond with the private sector. Hackney’s current average market rent is £500 per week. Council tenants pay on average £90 – 120 per week with housing association rents significantly more expensive.

The effects of housing benefit cuts hasn’t yet percolated into people’s lives. It is currently unclear how people are expected to survive in the context of benefit cuts and rising rents. Central government are talking about instituting plans for fixed term tenancies for council properties (particularly for larger homes). Single people on low incomes may be forced to rent a room in a shared house (this has already been trialled by housing associations). DCH are of the opinion that Hackney Council’s current Labour administration does not have the stomach for a fight over privatisation. This means that, while they do not have the money, they are unlikely to try to privatise estates but, equally, 40% of tenants of social housing in Hackney will not benefit from the Decent Homes initiative. It is possible that Hackney, like Islington, will not support the proposed plans for market rents. DCH is organising a lobby of parliament on November 15^th at 5pm in committee room 15.

World Homeless Action Movement

Organises events all over the world on 10^th October every year as part of World Homeless Action Day to raise awareness of local homelessness issues. October was chosen because it is the month when the cold weather centres open. Councils and charities are cutting their night shelters and churches are not coming forward to help. WHAM are working with the Pilion Trust to set up night shelters and raise money. Pillion Trust have some government money but not nearly enough. WHAM will take on any action related to homelessness. They recently brought attention to such isues as a website which hosted video of homeless people being brutalised.

SQUASH – Squatter Action for Secure Homes.

Originally formed when the government tried to criminalise squatting in 1994. Reformed this year in response to new government initiative to criminalise squatting. Have been trying to engage through official channels with government, getting people to respond to consultation etc. Squatting is getting a bad press and the myths about squatting and squatters are acting as a smokescreen in the midst of the housing crisis. The criminalisation of squatting effectively draws attention away from other housing issues. SQUASH aims to counter myths and direct attention back to the real issues. Have been networking with homelessneess organisations and people involved in political occupations who could also be affected by the new law but are calling for a more active approach.

Private anti-squatting rganisations like Camelot and Ad Hoc, which house people in empty properties on short term leases and with very little security are presented as a solution to the housing crisis. This effectively makes a divide between people who can afford to have rights and those who can’t. Hackney Council has been putting these so called ‘guardians’ into their own properties and are evicting squatters using Interim Possession Orders which cost a huge amount of money. SQUASH are affiliated to Squattastic which is a forum for discussing these issues and others related to squatting.

Hackney Housing Group (part of the London Campaign Against Poverty)

Has been in existence since 2008. Is set up as a mutual help group to help with specific problems and also campaign on housing issues. Have recently been dealing with the problems caused by HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation). In one example, the council put a prohibition order on the house because it was in an unoccupiable state of repair but the tenants did not move and the landlord continued to collect the rent. HHG got tenants re-housed. They meet every second Saturday of the month (next one is 5^th Nov) to share info and work on each other’s cases. Anyone can come. Are currently discussing the implications of Empty Dwelling Management Orders which give councils the power to make orders on property that has been empty for 6 months or more and let out to people on lists. The evidence so far is that very few emtpy homes have been brought back into occupation in this way.

Hackney anti-eviction network

Inspired from the experience of the North East London Squatters Network which has been used for eviction resistance support. Attempts are being made to extend the network to all people in danger of eviction and trying to break down barriers between squatters, tenants, homeless in temporary housing, and owner/occupiers having their houses re-possessed. Operate a phone tree which functions to alert people to evictions in progress. The phone number is 07773095731. Text it to join the network.

Well Street Squatters Collective

Were invited by the residents of Well Street who were being forced out of their properties by Church Trust trying to raise their rents by 300%. A company called Lamberts is used by the Trust to rent out properties. Trying to evict squatters has cost the charity a lot of money. The squatters have occupied various buildings in the street, have been evicted and then moved on to another one. Currently the charity are trying to pre-empt further squatting by putting Camelot guardians into empty shops. The collective have used the shops as social centres, running workshops, meetings and social events with the aim of increasing footfall in the street to help local businesses. Approaches to the Trust with community or business ideas have either been rejected or the process has been drawn out until people give up. The squatting collective are helping Well Street Tenants Association to revive the street market. The first Xmas market will be on December 3^rd.

The meeting also heard from Corporate Watch who are setting up support networks for people who have become indebted because of the housing crisis and from people who had attended the first open meeting of the People Against Riot Evictions, a London wide knowledge and support network. What emerged from this meeting is that riot evictions are part of a generalised attack on the working class and on social housing. Hackney Anarchist Group is committed to fighting these attacks on our homes and our way of life. Get in touch by phone or email if you are affected by any of these issues or want more details of any of the groups and campaigns listed here.

==========================================================================================

SAVE HACKNEY LIBRARIES

Read here for more information on the issue of Library cuts in Hackney

See also the Save Hackney Libraries website

Here is our report on the brilliant Information night on Libraries that HAG organised on Thursday 21st July.