Birmingham has the highest rate of homelessness in the country (http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jun/09/homelessness-england-data )
and hostels and housing services are struggling to keep up with the demand for shelter and support due to average funding cuts of 15%, the loss of 1 in 10 staff, and the promise of more cuts to come in the coming months.
As well as having the highest rate of homelessness Birmingham has the most abandoned buildings of any city in the UK.
While these people are being turned away from shelters, perfectly good houses sit empty and unused.
With the government forcing though a law to make the squatting of residential properties illegal we need to create networks across Birmingham and across the country to resist evictions and attacks on housing rights.
