As homelessness and the misery it entails increases across the United Kingdom, a collaboration by local journalists, charities and outreach groups has for the first time recorded the numbers of homeless deaths over a year. A figure which national and local authorities scandalously fail to calculate, collate and publish, despite the growing homelessness crisis. The […]
The wrong kind of homeless: meet the teenagers crowdfunding for a place to call their own
Homelessness is something we’ve grown reluctantly accustomed to in Manchester over recent years. But when somebody says the word ‘homeless’, what is the image that springs to mind? Often it’s a ragged, single, middle-aged, white man with a beard, sleeping on the street. Caitlin and Shelby don’t fit this stereotype. Walking past them on Market […]
Manchester sees nearly 400% rise in B&B homeless accommodation costs in five years
Manchester City Council paid 392% more on emergency B&B accommodation for the homeless in 2016/17 than it did in 2011/12. The increasing costs are due to a huge rise in the number of nights accommodation per year paid for by the council in their attempt to reduce the rising levels of homelessness; a pattern seen […]
Lifeshare, the homeless charity facing homelessness needs help
Manchester homeless charity Lifeshare is in need of a new home due to the controversial development plans for Angel Meadows. Up to 756 private rented sector apartments will be built there under the control of an offshore tax haven registered company called Far Eastern Consortium International Ltd. Due to the development, Lifeshare’s home for over […]
Austerity: the false economy increasing homelessness (part two)
Second article in ‘The Meteor Explores: Homelessness in Manchester‘ series. Part one of this story can be viewed here: The safety net of the ‘cradle to grave’ welfare state, implemented by Atlee’s government after the Second World War, is becoming increasingly threadbare due to the economic and humanitarian degradations of austerity. Increasing numbers in the […]
Austerity: the false economy increasing homelessness (part one)
First article in ‘The Meteor Explores: Homelessness in Manchester‘ series. Part two can be read here. Homelessness is often described as a complex problem, usually by those tasked with reducing it, and there are no doubt a multitude of factors that contribute to someone becoming homeless. But there is a common theme to the rise […]
The Meteor Explores: Homelessness in Manchester
To see all the articles in this series, click here. Homelessness is a visibly growing problem in Manchester. When asked what concerns Mancunians have about their city, homelessness was one of the top issues mentioned. The Meteor has subsequently covered a range of stories relating to homelessness over the past year and have now been […]
Research reveals 89% of homeless experience worsening mental health
Research has uncovered the shocking toll being homeless has on the health of this most vulnerable and growing community. The results, which included responses from those living in temporary accommodation or sleeping rough, revealed 89% of homeless people completing the survey experienced worsening mental health due to their lack of secure good quality housing. The […]
It beggars belief: Rochdale Council plans to punish the homeless and restrict civil liberties
Rochdale Council are proposing sweeping new laws that will force homeless people to pay fines for begging and also restrict freedom of expression by fining the distribution of unauthorised printed materials and leaflets. The proposals, which are still open to limited public consultation, have been condemned by human rights charity Liberty as a “staggering misuse […]
Party Protest group invite volunteers to break bread with Manchester’s homeless this Christmas
Christmas is a time of togetherness, and yet we often spend the build-up in our own world, wrapped up in the stress to be ready in time. As we cram into already overcrowded areas, queue seemingly endlessly and wrack our brains to find something half-decent for our loved ones, we tend to dehumanise most of […]