Why I Joined the Crisis Fringe at the Labour Party Conference

Sally Wyatt, Volunteer Coordinator, Croydon Skylight

27.09.2019

I have been a Volunteer Coordinator at Crisis Skylight Croydon since March 2016. In that time, I have worked with many Members who have volunteered with Crisis and I feel privileged to have this role because I get to hear and see and support Member’s journeys from being homeless to moving into work, accommodation, all the while watching people grow in confidence.

Sometimes witnessing and hearing about the things that Members have gone through can be heart breaking. For example, one Member came in having had all his belongings set on fire by people who treated it as a joke. It was fortunate that he had not been sleeping in his tent at the time. It was horrifying to imagine having so little belongings to survive and then having them all destroyed by such a malicious act.

Another Member I’ve worked with, Asimba, had been homeless for half his life. He was in his 30s when I first met him and was first made homeless when he was only 16 years old. He had been let down again and again by social services, the police and housing services for years. So, it was not surprising that he was reluctant at first to engage with Crisis. Despite this, he started to attend Member Forums and often came up with original and thought-provoking ideas. Next, he excelled as a Member Ambassador for Crisis at Christmas and started on the retail training program, gaining useful experience which helped him find work in retail.

However, no matter how hard he works, he can barely cover his rent. All those tiny treats that we take for granted, like a morning coffee or magazine or having WIFI, are impossible. He worries about if his clothes wear out, and having to decide whether to have electricity or heating are a reality. It is a myth that benefits are only needed for people who are unemployed. With low wages, zero contracts and the gig economy many people find themselves needing the support of housing benefit to survive.

I took part in the Crisis Fringe at the Labour Party Conference on behalf of Asimba, and others like him, to highlight how much of a difference this can make in someone’s life. I was pleased to speak to the delegates about working with Members and to share their experiences, in support the Crisis #CovertheCost campaign for housing benefit to meet the true cost of renting.

Pictured left to right: Mayor Damien Egan, Alex Cunningham MP, Jon Sparkes, Cllr Muhammed Butt, Sally Wyatt and Cllr Sharon Taylor OBE

I wanted to put my views and experiences of things that I have witnessed to make an impact, and it was great to have the opportunity to be part of a panel, speaking alongside the Shadow Housing Minister, Alex Cunningham MP.

It was great to hear from all the panel. The Mayor of Lewisham, Damien Egan, talked movingly about his mother becoming homeless and the impact that it had on him. He also spoke about a scheme in Lewisham to make a minimum standard for private landlords, where they could apply for a licence if they reach that standard. He explained the sadness of having people from Lewisham having to move out of their area they have lived to be housed and the practicalities that this meant for the people.

Cllr Muhammed Butt, the Leader of Brent Council and Executive member for Welfare, Empowerment and Inclusion for London Councils, talked about some of the difficulties faced in his area around housing. He said that the number of people who are homeless could not be supported properly due the lack of social accommodation in the borough.

Cllr Sharon Taylor OBE, the Leader of Stevenage Borough Council and Deputy Chair of the Local Government Association, compared the amount of housing stock available when she was a child to now.

All the panel talked about how homelessness is something that must be tackled urgently, and I agree.

I will shortly be attending the funeral of a Member who was a hugely influential person, who supported Crisis with his volunteering with passion and intelligence. He moved from rough sleeping to be an advocate and leader in the expert by experience panel. He had recently started on a training program with a local housing provider, however the time spent sleeping on the street had irreversibly damaged his health, and sadly he has passed away.

He was only 51 years old.

He is the third Member that I have worked with who has died this year, because of sleeping rough. I do not want to see or hear about another death because of people being homeless.

Having a place to call home is a basic human right, and helping people to keep their homes is vital in preventing homelessness, which is why I support the Cover the Cost campaign and why I think the Labour Party should be backing it too.

Find out about what you can do to support the Cover the Cost campaign here: www.crisis.org.uk/coverthecost