THE MANIFESTO TO END HOMELESSNESS

 

This manifesto is not an easy one for me to write. My upbringing has been quite different to most others. In many ways I do not think that I have much to write about when it comes to facing adversities. I have been blessed with amazing opportunities and experiences and I am thankful for everything I have, but it is difficult to write about stuff where I do not have any experience of it. Coming from a Christian background I have always been brought up with the value of “love your neighbour as yourself”. This points towards the idea of equality, acceptance, respect. These are points I want to discuss in my manifesto.

Living in Oxford my whole life I know there is a huge problem with so many people being homeless. When I was in year 10, we did a charity fundraiser where we raised money for the homeless in Oxford. We turned off the heating, the electricity, hot water and all electronics were handed in for 24 hours. This was in winter so it was pretty cold without heating. We ate very basic food and then made bacon rolls to be taken to a shelter. This really put into perspective how lucky I have been to have a roof over my head, a loving family and food. When you walk through the streets of Oxford there is a high chance you will see someone homeless, and I just feel like everyone should be given the chance to live in a form of accommodation and given an equal opportunity to have a go at life.

What I want my manifesto to be about is how everyone should be given the opportunity to have a home or at least some form of accommodation. Living in Oxford my whole life I know there is a huge problem with so many people being homeless. But I also see it as an opportunity to do something amazing in the architecture scene. I believe everyone should be given the chance to live in a form of accommodation and given an equal opportunity to have a go at life. This is the equality that I want to see. An equality where people are given a start to turn around their life.

This start is as small as just a job and a place to stay. This is where architects along with the government and local councils have an opportunity to change it around. Over the next 20 to 50 years, I would like to see plans drawn up to see the end of homelessness. I believe more can be done to support and give opportunities to homeless people.

Currently the average house price is £273,762[1] which is impossible for a homeless person to get near to. Therefore, can we as architects design something that is inexpensive, modular and simple. They do not need to be stunning pieces of architecture, the just need to be functional. An example of this being done is by NAC Architecture and Bernards in LA where they have designed a housing complex out of shipping containers. At £41.1 million, this housing complex has 232 beds for people struggling with homelessness. Can the UK come up with an idea similar to this to create a similar number of beds in each major city? That is what I want to see in the next 20 years.

Another temporary housing complex has 150 beds and is also located in LA[2]. This is 77 tiny houses for people struggling with homelessness, but is a temporary setup using hygiene trailers, but provides a very similar function as the one above. Although this may not house all the estimated 40,000 it is still a start.

In the UK in April 2021 the weekly pay was at £611[3] a week in a full-time job which is the highest it has been since the financial crash. To me this was quite surprise as the average would mean the average salary would be £31,772. In the UK the average amount of savings required for a deposit is 20% of the house price[4]. This would mean that on the average house price of £273,762 would be £54,752.40. For a homeless person this would be incredibly difficult to get together.  

In the UK there are 227,000 experiencing the worst forms of homelessness[5]. If we could make take this number down into the thousands in the next 10 years and by 2072 have ended homelessness in the UK. That would be my dream. I believe this is achievable with the backing of charities and government. As in the LA one with containers the government spent £37 million to build this housing complex. It then had the other 7 million covered by donations[6]. The average price for a shipping container is between £1,594.20 and £3,028.98[7]. The government could subsidize the price for each one and then the project could be created through further donations from the councils and charities. Therefore, each area would be paying to support the homeless. I believe that this will also help integrate the homeless back into the community. This will create a respect between both the community and the homeless whilst also creating acceptance for what people have been through.

I believe the government over the past 5 years have not helped the homeless as well as people on low incomes to withstand the fluctuations of the economy, especially through covid. With 130,000 households being made homeless during covid[8], it is obvious that the government has not supported the people who needed the support the most. I would ask that to make it up too many of them that the government and councils do their bit to create a housing scheme accessible to these people.

I would like to also see them implement schemes to support the youth who are homeless, with that being 121,000 in 2019-2020[9]. These are people under the age of 18 who do not have access to a full paid job which is also full time. These kids and teenagers also do not have access to a full-time education to help them in the future to find jobs. At these housing facilities I would have a canteen as well as counselling and support so this will also create jobs for people.

The UK is also in a housing crisis at the moment which means that houses are available to be lived in. These could be converted to aid the youth who are homeless. As of November 2020, the UK has around 268,385 empty homes according to the government[10]. If you converted only a few of these into houses for younger kids to live in with support from the councils. For my essay I discussed how we can reuse buildings to improve the environment, but also to improve people’s lives. If there are houses available why not use them to improve someone’s life? What would it take for someone to come in and refurbish the rooms? How much would it cost to feed 5 possibly 6 kids? This is a way forward to improve lives and people’s chance’s of having a better go at life, but I would like the government to do something especially about the future of kids and teenagers in situations that they haven’t been put in by themselves

In London in 2021, Newham had the highest amount of homeless people in the UK with 15,800 [11]homeless people. This is where I would like to see the initial influx of temporary housing for people who are homeless. I would then move down the order till all cities had a form of housing. Hopefully this will give people the start they need to reset their lives.

My manifesto has developed a lot through writing this. Consequently, I am putting a timeline together of what I expect to happen through the next 50 years.

-        Through out the next 2 years I want to see the development of schemes for each major city in the UK. These will include locations, funding, time period.

-        After that I want to see every other year one project completed. As well as that I want to see the redevelopment of houses that are no longer used. This will require a contractor for them.

-        From there I want to see the government keep schemes going which support people moving from homeless.

-        These houses will be available for 5 years for each person and for kids and teenagers until they are 20 or have a stable job. 5 years is enough to save up for a deposit or to have enough to pay rent.

-        Once they have moved out of the accommodation there will be further counselling
and support to help them from lapsing.

Hopefully projects similar to the LA projects can be created. I believe this will bring an equality not seen in the world and equality between classes of people. There will be an equality that people have somewhere warm to go back to. I think it will be bringing a certain amount of respect to people. I think this will create respect that there will be a respect that people are giving life a go again and that people are looking for a future. I also believe that these new housing schemes will create an acceptance throughout work spaces and cities.­­

I believe everyone deserves a chance at getting somewhere in life and it is important that we take steps to prevent it getting worse. I believe the integration of homeless back into the community is pivotal and creating schemes that are not controlling but supportive to create a positive future.

 

 

 

References

McKnight, J. (2021, July 29). Shipping containers used to build LA housing complex for the homeless. Dezeen; Dezeen. https://www.dezeen.com/2021/07/29/shipping-containers-los-angeles-housing-complex-homeless-nac-architecture-bernards/

 

Howarth, D. (2021, November 9). Tiny home village by Lehrer Architects provides temporary shelter for LA’s homeless. Dezeen; Dezeen. https://www.dezeen.com/2021/11/09/whitsett-west-tiny-home-village-los-angeles-lehrer-architects/

 

White, N. (2021, October 25). Employee earnings in the UK. Ons.gov.uk; Office for National Statistics. https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/annualsurveyofhoursandearnings/2021

 

Henretty, N. (2020, March 19). Mortgage repayment affordability. Ons.gov.uk; Office for National Statistics. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/datasets/mortgagerepaymentaffordability

 

How many people are homeless in the UK? And what can you do about it? - The Big Issue. (2022, April 29). The Big Issue. https://www.bigissue.com/news/housing/how-many-people-are-homeless-in-the-uk-and-what-can-you-do-about-it/

 

Is it Worth Saving Up for a Bigger Down Payment? (2022). Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/042215/using-your-savings-mortgagedownpayment.asp#:~:text=For%20some%20folks%2C%20the%20best,the%20entirety%20of%20the%20loan.

Budget Shipping Containers. (2021, April 7). Budget Shipping Containers. https://www.budgetshippingcontainers.co.uk/company/shipping-container-prices/#:~:text=US%242000%20per%2020ft%20container,increases%20in%20shipping%20container%20prices.

Chaminda Jayanetti. (2021, June 13). At least 130,000 households in England made homeless in pandemic. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jun/13/at-least-130000-households-in-england-made-homeless-in-pandemic

Aamna Mohdin, & Thomas, T. (2021, October 18). Youth homelessness has risen 40% in five years, says UK charity. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/18/youth-homelessness-up-40-per-cent-in-five-years-says-uk-charity-centrepoint#:~:text=Seyi%20Obakin%2C%20the%20chief%20executive,to%20121%2C000%20in%202019%2D20.

How many empty homes are there in the UK? - The Big Issue. (2022, February 28). The Big Issue. https://www.bigissue.com/news/housing/how-many-empty-homes-are-there-in-the-uk/

Berry, C. (2021, December 9). The shocking scale of homelessness in England – Shelter. Shelter.org.uk. https://blog.shelter.org.uk/2021/12/the-shocking-scale-of-homelessness-in-england/

Boyle, M. (2020, February 14). Mortgage statistics: The average UK mortgage size, payments and debt. Finder UK; finder. https://www.finder.com/uk/mortgage-statistics

Oxford City Council. (2019). Council releases November 2019 rough sleeper street count information | Oxford City Council. Oxford.gov.uk. https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/1312/council_releases_november_2019_rough_sleeper_street_count_information

Oxford City Council. (2021). Overview on what we do to tackle homelessness | What we do to tackle homelessness | Oxford City Council. Oxford.gov.uk. https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20019/homelessness/1242/what_we_do_to_tackle_homelessness

Official Statistics Release. (n.d.). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1050291/Statutory_Homelessness_Stats_Release_July-September_2021.pdf

findcourses.co.uk. (2022, August 3). Average UK Salary | 2020 & 2021. Findcourses.co.uk; findcourses.co.uk. https://www.findcourses.co.uk/inspiration/average-salaries-uk/average-uk-salary-2020-2021-19759#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20ONS%2C%20in,part%2Dtime%20at%20%C2%A312%2C495

England,. (2021, January 29). Employment. Service.gov.uk. https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/work-pay-and-benefits/employment/employment/latest

HM Land Registry. (2022, March 23). UK House Price Index for January 2022. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-house-price-index-for-january-2022

The Hilda L. Solis Care First Village - Los Angeles, California. (2020). Nacarchitecture.com. https://www.nacarchitecture.com/portfolio/vignes-interim-housing.html

 


[1] McKnight, J. (2021, July 29). Shipping containers used to build LA housing complex for the homeless. Dezeen; Dezeen. https://www.dezeen.com/2021/07/29/shipping-containers-los-angeles-housing-complex-homeless-nac-architecture-bernards/

[2] Howarth, D. (2021, November 9). Tiny home village by Lehrer Architects provides temporary shelter for LA’s homeless. Dezeen; Dezeen. https://www.dezeen.com/2021/11/09/whitsett-west-tiny-home-village-los-angeles-lehrer-architects/

[3] White, N. (2021, October 25). Employee earnings in the UK. Ons.gov.uk; Office for National Statistics. https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/annualsurveyofhoursandearnings/2021

‌

[5] How many people are homeless in the UK? And what can you do about it? - The Big Issue. (2022, April 29). The Big Issue. https://www.bigissue.com/news/housing/how-many-people-are-homeless-in-the-uk-and-what-can-you-do-about-it/

 

[6] McKnight, J. (2021, July 29). Shipping containers used to build LA housing complex for the homeless. Dezeen; Dezeen. https://www.dezeen.com/2021/07/29/shipping-containers-los-angeles-housing-complex-homeless-nac-architecture-bernards/

‌

[8] Chaminda Jayanetti. (2021, June 13). At least 130,000 households in England made homeless in pandemic. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jun/13/at-least-130000-households-in-england-made-homeless-in-pandemic

 

‌

[9] Aamna Mohdin, & Thomas, T. (2021, October 18). Youth homelessness has risen 40% in five years, says UK charity. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/18/youth-homelessness-up-40-per-cent-in-five-years-says-uk-charity-centrepoint#:~:text=Seyi%20Obakin%2C%20the%20chief%20executive,to%20121%2C000%20in%202019%2D20.

 

[10] How many empty homes are there in the UK? - The Big Issue. (2022, February 28). The Big Issue. https://www.bigissue.com/news/housing/how-many-empty-homes-are-there-in-the-uk/

‌

[11] Berry, C. (2021, December 9). The shocking scale of homelessness in England – Shelter. Shelter.org.uk. https://blog.shelter.org.uk/2021/12/the-shocking-scale-of-homelessness-in-england/

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