Housing campaigners began occupying a four bedroom house in Hastings to prevent it being sold at auction by housing association Southern Housing.
Southern withdrew another family home from auction earlier this year after a similar protest by members of Housing Rebellion.
Protestors are demanding that Southern Housing stop selling off homes and instead rent this and other habitable empty homes to families in temporary accommodation, or the hundreds more on council waiting lists.
One of the protestors, Elaine, who has been in temporary accommodation since she was made homeless over a year ago, said
I already suffer from depression and anxiety so I’ve found it really hard being in just one room and not having my own place with my own belongings around me. I can’t believe that they are selling off social housing when there are so many people like myself left in limbo for so long waiting for a home.
Due to the severe shortage of social housing, Hastings Council currently spends a quarter of the council’s entire budget on subsidising the cost of temporary accommodation for homeless people in private sector accommodation including hotels and caravan parks.
Felix Lozano, from Housing Rebellion said
The vast majority of Southern Housing’s properties in Hastings were originally built with public money as council housing. They have no right to flog off these valuable community assets when they are so desperately needed. We need more social housing, not less!
Only 189 social homes in Hastings were let last year and there were still 1,547 households on the waiting list at the end of 2023. For enquiries and to get involved, email housingrebellion@protonmail.com.
Lesnes Leads the Way
A similar occupation has been taking place at the Lesnes estate in Thamesmead in homes owned by Peabody Housing Association.
The occupation began in April and was combined with meetings and workshops for residents and supporters, as well as protests outside Bexley Council against the redevelopment of the estate.
Since the Elizabeth Line was opened to the public making the area more accessible by public transport, Bexley Council has given planning permission for Peabody to demolish Lesnes Estate and replace it with unaffordable, luxury, high rise apartments.
Bexley Council and Peabody are currently leaving hundreds of homes empty while they wait for the most profitable time to do this redevelopment.
As in Hastings, Bexley Council has thousands of people on the waiting list for social housing. The residents and housing activists are demanding that Peabody refurbish the estate, or that the homes are returned to Bexley Council, and in either case, used for much needed social housing.
Dr Johnnel Olabhie has lived on Lesnes Estate for over 20 years and says:
I wanted to expose Peabody’s greedy project that’s skyrocketing homelessness and destitution. Why on earth would an estate be made deliberately uninhabitable while there’s an endless waiting list of people searching for homes? This is not just unacceptable, but evil.
The group reports that the response from Peabody has been callous and unempathetic. The have urged London Mayor Sadiq Khan to intervene, but will continue to occupy the homes in the meantime. More details available here.
28 July 2024
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