What is Operation Poncho, why not to trust street ... - The Pavement

14 / The Pavement, September 2007
behind office buildings instead.
While having a nap on your back
lawn hardly constitutes sleeping
rough, money is money: “We are
using the funds raised to help
finance our outreach projects,”
said Myles Bremner, interim
director of fundraising at NCH.
“We support young people
leaving care and those at risk
of homelessness to try and
prevent them becoming homeless
in the first place.”
The techies are being supplied
with “survival packs” to
help them make it through the
night. Their bivvy bag contains a
hat, a toothbrush, an umbrella,
and a few other odds and ends,
though participants have to bring
their own sleeping bags. “We are
not spending valuable funds on
luxury items,” said Mr Bennet.
“Between 90 and 95 per cent of
the money raised will go to NCH.”
So, if you are out and about in
Tower Bridge and you find the place
swarming with tech-bods, do not
be alarmed. They are nice people,
taking a break from their air-conditioned
lives to experience the thrill
of a night out in the elements.
Rebecca Burn-Callander
A good start – The
meeting Simon Hughes
MP
The shadow leader of the House
of Commons will try to host a
formal meeting between rough
sleepers, borough staff and representatives
from the Metropolitan
Police, in a bid to address the
issues concerning street counts.
Simon Hughes MP, parliamentary
member for Southwark North
and Bermondsey, pledged to hold
the summit after an informal
get-together with The Pavement
readers in July drew his attention
to the move-on policies used
by many London boroughs.
As well as addressing this
issue, Mr Hughes said attendees
of the meeting would consider
other pertinent concerns, such
as the services and support
available to rough sleepers and
official attitudes towards those
without permanent homes.
This initial meeting opened
the lid on a much wider issue,
and one that The Pavement will
continue to cover - the official
homeless street count.
Readers compared notes on
the move-on policies adopted
by various London boroughs,
recounting stories of street cleaners
and police harassment in the
lead up to official street counts.
Mr Hughes candidly confessed:
“I had always assumed that the
Government figures were too
low to be accurate”. Although
official statistics suggest homeless
numbers are decreasing, Mr
Hughes questioned whether this
reflected the reality of the problem.
The informal meeting
also gave voice to some
other regular concerns.
One reader explained that
some hostels only accept lodgers
with composite and mixed needs,
and that this can pose a problem
for people with only one problem
– that they are homeless.
Another reader pointed out that
only a handful of hostels accept
lodgers with pets, a hindrance to
many people who rely on dogs for
companionship when on the streets.
The meeting concluded with Mr
Hughes proposing to draft a memorandum
of readers’ concerns and a
promise to hold further discussions.
The Pavement will continue
to cover developments with the
MP and the ongoing debate
over street counts. See page
four in this issue for the most
recent news on the matter.
Thea Deakin-Greenwood
Inequality for
homosexual homeless
Since The Pavement’s last article
on the Equality Act Amendment
we have received continuous
claims that gay and lesbian
individuals face discrimination
at service centres.
Nick van Benschoten, of
Sexual Orientation Legislation
Team within the Department of
Communities and Local Government,
responded to our coverage
of the Parliamentary debate.
He said: “During consultation,
the government received
evidence that lesbian, gay or
bisexual people continue to face
discrimination when seeking to
buy a private home, rent property
and obtain sheltered accommodation,
including at residential care
facilities or college campuses.”
Mr Benschoten cited one
particular incident, reported by Meg
Munn MP, the minister for equality,
in a letter to The Times, which then
provoked the government review.
A young lesbian had been
refused emergency accommodation
after being thrown out of
her family home on the grounds
that she had chosen to tell her
parents about her sexuality.
“The regulations now prohibit
discrimination on grounds of
sexual orientation in the exercise
of public functions and the
disposal of public and commercial
premises,” said Mr Benschoten.
But despite being illegal, charities
working within this arena claim
this discrimination still does exist.
Bob Green, acting director
of Stonewall Housing said: “Our
experience also demonstrates
that the needs of homeless LGBT
(lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender)
people are often not met
by mainstream organisations.
“50 per cent of the approximately
1600 people who have
approached us in the last couple