West Midlands citizens contribute £2,216.88 to fight homelessness

[JohnD]

The Tory Mayor for the West Midlands, Andy Street, claimed a total of £2,216.88 for his one-day trip to the homelessness event, Housing First, in Helsinki.

A freedom of information request conducted by The Mirror revealed that of the £2216 claimed by Street for the one-day trip, the taxpayer was forced to fork out more than £500 to a company called “Chauffeured by Car” for Street and his aide to be chauffeur-driven to and from Heathrow airport.

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/west-midlands-mayor-slammed-obscene-15284865

 

[Deleted member 63160]

Thanks for clearing that up for us. Stop press! "Mayor travels in car driven by someone else".

 

[Ihavenojob]

How much do you think the Labour Mayor of London (sadiq khan, remember him) has cost taxpayers ?

 

[big-all]

How much do you think the Labour Mayor of London (sadiq khan, remember him) has cost taxpayers ?

probably less than boris

 

[transam]

Councils and councilers most of em are a waste of space

Some councils even gave money to sponsor anal butt plug/ art to the tune of 10 grand


It was Croydon council

 

[ellal]

If that mayor actually learnt how 'housing first' works, then £2k (irrespective of the car cost) would be money well spent.

"Here's how Finland solved its homelessness problem...

There can be a number of reasons as to why someone ends up homeless, including sudden job loss or family breakdown, severe substance abuse or mental health problems. But most homelessness policies work on the premise that the homeless person has to sort those problems out first before they can get permanent accommodation.


Finland does the opposite - it gives them a home first."

They do something similar in the country I go to regularly.

Converted/insulated shipping containers are bought from Eastern European/Balkan countries and kitted out with a small kitchen and shower.
They are dotted around the city and towns in order to avoid creating 'ghettos', and have power/heating and internet access.
For homeless families the containers can be interconnected, and they are far more comfortable than they sound (and bigger than many a flat/bedsit!).
Rent is deducted from benefits, and they also get healthcare support and counselling.

And far cheaper than any UK alternatives.

Of course it will never happen here, because our 'social model' never focuses on the cause of the problem for political reasons!

 

[Notch7]

Finland does the opposite - it gives them a home first.

I expect this has something to do with it:
Population Density and Area in Finland. The country has a very low population densityof 18 people per square kilometer (46/square mile), which ranks 201st in the world and makes Finland one of the most sparsely populated country of the European Union


Homelessness and housing problems reach crisis point in all EU countries – except Finland

homelessness is rising in all European countries except Finland, and singles out cities such as London, Paris, Brussels, Dublin, Vienna, Athens, Warsaw and Barcelona as places where the housing system is particularly under strain

For poor young people across Europe, the situation is becoming increasingly prevalent, with 65% in Germany, 78% in Denmark and 58% in the UK spending more than 40% of their disposable income on housing. The average in the EU is 48%.

 

[big-all]

If that mayor actually learnt how 'housing first' works, then £2k (irrespective of the car cost) would be money well spent.

"Here's how Finland solved its homelessness problem...

There can be a number of reasons as to why someone ends up homeless, including sudden job loss or family breakdown, severe substance abuse or mental health problems. But most homelessness policies work on the premise that the homeless person has to sort those problems out first before they can get permanent accommodation.


Finland does the opposite - it gives them a home first."

They do something similar in the country I go to regularly.

Converted/insulated shipping containers are bought from Eastern European/Balkan countries and kitted out with a small kitchen and shower.
They are dotted around the city and towns in order to avoid creating 'ghettos', and have power/heating and internet access.
For homeless families the containers can be interconnected, and they are far more comfortable than they sound (and bigger than many a flat/bedsit!).
Rent is deducted from benefits, and they also get healthcare support and counselling.

And far cheaper than any UK alternatives.

Of course it will never happen here, because our 'social model' never focuses on the cause of the problem for political reasons!

they actually are doing something similar with shipping containers in the uk seen it on one off the inside out type tv programs

 

[ellal]

they actually are doing something similar with shipping containers in the uk seen it on one off the inside out type tv programs

The difference though is that in the UK they are usually temporary.

This doesn't do much except keep people off the streets for a while, and a temporary address doesn't help with providing the security that makes using services and finding employment easier.

The Finnish model on the other hand is more of a long term solution, which aims to solve those issues.

 

[ellal]

I expect this has something to do with it:
Population Density and Area in Finland. The country has a very low population densityof 18 people per square kilometer (46/square mile), which ranks 201st in the world and makes Finland one of the most sparsely populated country of the European Union

You always seem to think that 'scale' has a lot to do with whether a project is successful or not, intimating that it couldn't work in larger more populated countries.

Sure the countryside is sparsely populated, but Helsinki has the same density problems as most other cities.

In reality 'large scale' is simply a series of 'small scale' problems.
And whatever the population, if resources are shared proportionately the ability to provide the facilities shouldn't vary too much.

The real reason is that Finland has a much fairer social model than many other countries!

 

[bernardgreen]

google Keetwonen for a project in Amsterdam 2006

 

[Notch7]

You always seem to think that 'scale' has a lot to do with whether a project is successful or not, intimating that it couldn't work in larger more populated countries.

Not at all, scale isnt the factor, what is a factor is comparing like with like.

UK has a 40% greater population increase rate then Finland for a start.

 

[OwainDIYer]

I expect this has something to do with it:
Population Density and Area in Finland. The country has a very low population densityof 18 people per square kilometer (46/square mile), which ranks 201st in the world and makes Finland one of the most sparsely populated country of the European Union

West Midlands 3,213/km2 (8,320/sq mi)
Helsinki 3,003.72/km2 (7,779.6/sq mi)

Not that different.

and the council has identified more than 5,000 privately owned properties that have been vacant for more than six months and around 1,900 houses that have been empty for more than three years. | The region is blighted by brownfield sites. Many have been allowed to sit undeveloped for a decade or more, while owners speculate on the land.

And in Manchester they're making homes from shipping containers to help homeless people.

 

[Notch7]

West Midlands 3,213/km2 (8,320/sq mi)
Helsinki 3,003.72/km2 (7,779.6/sq mi)

Not that different.

You are comparing a capital city to the West Midlands as though there is some relevance?

How about comparing Helsinki to London?

I agree with the fact that the UK has a massive problem with housing, which has a lot to do with land and housing used as investment. What I dont agree with is making any comparision with a country that is totally different in many ways.

Privately owned houses that are empty is a bit of a red herring, I dont see any solution coming from looking at that, it isnt relevant to solving the problem although it is a symptom.

 

[ellal]

What I dont agree with is making any comparision with a country that is totally different in many ways.

Well you could say that about comparing any two different areas within a country couldn't you.

What is important here is not the scale or country comparison - it is the approach.

An approach that works well whether it be in a city or a small rural town is better than letting the problem drag on because of political dogma!

I agree with the fact that the UK has a massive problem with housing, which has a lot to do with land and housing used as investment.

The country I am talking about has heavy tax penalties if you don't live in a property, and that tax penalty slides downwards the longer the occupancy.
However there is still a problem with 'land banking' in popular areas (the main city) even though the country is also sparsely populated.

Developers the world over rule the roost!