Croydon offered properties in Manchester and Walsall to ease housing crisis
A PROPERTY developer has offered Croydon Council nearly 100 homes in Manchester and Walsall to help ease its housing crisis.
If agreed, dozens of homeless families could be offered the opportunity to move to the West Midlands or Lancashire.
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The council has been offered 96 units, 67 in Greater Manchester and a further 29 in Walsall.
The company approached the council after an Advertiser report on a plan to pay for destitute families to move to seaside towns in Yorkshire received national media attention.
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Hull was one of the towns being discussed as a possible destination in an attempt to tackle a growing homelessness crisis in Croydon, epitomised by more than 300 families who face Christmas in a bed and breakfast.
Councillor Dudley Mead, Croydon's cabinet member for housing, finance and asset management, said a deal which could see those families offered accommodation in Manchester or Walsall was still some way off.
He added: "To receive offers of such a large amount of accommodation is very encouraging.
"It's a significant amount. If I had three times that number it would solve our problem.
"It's early days but I would be looking for a minimum of a five-year lease, possibly ten.
"A charity in Croydon has also approached me with two units which we are going to take.
"There's no compulsion to leave the borough. The question we will ask is do they want to stay in a bed and breakfast, or the opportunity of going elsewhere?"
Temporary accommodation is a very limited resource only offered to those in "extreme housing crisis." Croydon has run out of social housing, so more and more families are being put up in bed and breakfasts or hotels.
The number of homeless families in this situation increased fivefold in three years, from 61 in 2008 to more than 300 now.
Figures released this week show an £812,000 overspend in this year's budget for bed and breakfast placements, put down to increased demand and rising costs.
Cllr Mead revealed this week that the council uses some of the Government's new homes bonus, given to local authorities as an incentive for housing growth, to offset this expenditure.
The council has looked to other areas of the country where housing is more readily available. The average monthly rent for a two bedroom house in Walsall is £474, compared to £935 in Croydon.
Kay Boycott, director of campaigns, policy and communications at homelessness charity Shelter, said: "The fact that a council is offering people homes hundreds of miles away – uprooting families from schools, communities and jobs – is testament to the scale of London's housing crisis."
Comments
by The3rd
Wednesday, December 14 2011, 2:12PM
“Well they are clearly not using this "network" of friends and family. That's why the waiting list is so long.”
by steptadis
Wednesday, December 14 2011, 11:23AM
“Before dismissing those on the waiting list as 'picky scroungers' you have to take into account that some are dependent on a local support network of family and friends that better there chances of earning a living.”
by roomster
Wednesday, December 14 2011, 8:36AM
“I think that the social housing should be for the truly local people in the first place "newcomers" to the area should be offered the out of area places if the situation is as bad as it seems.The one thing that concerns me is that some people seem to believe that if you are in social housing you don't work this is not true many tenants are working.”
by The3rd
Tuesday, December 13 2011, 4:45PM
“I agree with nicecityboy.
There should be no choice in the matter. If you wish to stay in Croydon, work for it. If you chose to live live on the social then you should be moved where ever is available.”
by Dollydreamer
Tuesday, December 13 2011, 2:28PM
“Many people in social housing have jobs, some may have elderly relatives who are dependant upon them, so to give them a choice I feel is only fair. Even if some social housing residents do not have either they may have to return in years to come if one of their relatives does become elderly and needs looking after. These need to be taken into consideration as it could lead to further drain on resources. I do think this is a good idea and Croydon has enough people who do not have jobs or families that could go”
by No1Enoch
Tuesday, December 13 2011, 1:51PM
“LAFANTASTICA
Genuine Croydonians Generally Are - I suspect most of those on the list to be moved will be the ones in the other category !”
by nicecityboy
Tuesday, December 13 2011, 1:24PM
“Why are people given a CHOICE when they are being offered FREE houses. What right do they have to pick and choose?
We should be telling these people - if you don't like it then get a job and buy your own house!”
by msbloggs
Tuesday, December 13 2011, 1:14PM
“3? lol”
by Ivor_Shed
Tuesday, December 13 2011, 12:38PM
“You are going about it wrong. The choice should not be free bed and breakfast or a free house in Manchester. It should be house in Manchester or cardboard box ('self build')?
On the other hand, those Manchester houses look quite good (most have Sky dishes) - put me down for 3.”
by msbloggs
Tuesday, December 13 2011, 12:37PM
“Some are. :)”