Housing and welfare events coming up!

There’s a whole load of housing and welfare events coming up. Here’s a list of them – with more to be confirmed soon!

Monday 27th January – protest against Lambeth anti-squatter MP Tessa Jowell who last year, along with Chuka Umunna and Lib Peck, called for the full criminalisation of squatting. Read HASL’s response to this here. 11.30am City Hall, Queen’s walk, SE1. Bring sleeping bags and blankets if you can.

Our regular HASL meeting is this coming Wednesday 29th 6.30pm at Renton Close Community Centre, Brixton hill. There is also a protest on this day at 6pm at Lambeth town hall called by Lambeth Housing Activists in support of Maritza who the council are trying to evict from her short-life housing co-op. More info here. We will be out supporting the demonstration, but a couple of us will be at Renton Close from 6.30pm in case people want to drop by for a chat or with a housing or welfare issue. We’ll be looking at the ‘bedroom tax loophole’ that was recently discovered which means that people who have lived in their properties for 18 years and have been entitled to housing benefit over that time may be able to get refunded. We’ll discuss and possibly draft letters to Lambeth council about these refunds.

Lambeth renters are holding a Private Renters’ Rights night with speakers from Housing Solidarity and Lambeth Law Centre on Thursday 30th January, 7.30pm at The Bear, 296 Camberwell New Road. Join their facebook group here.

We will also be holding our fortnightly HASL info stall at Brixton library on Wednesday 5th February from 3-5pm.

Boycott Workfare are holding an info and skill sharing day on 15th February for people in mutual support groups (like HASL) and those that would like to start one up to share rights info, tactics, and ideas on how we can assert and extend our welfare and housing rights. There’s a timetable full of great workshops and more info here.

Look forward to seeing you at some of these events!

Here are some articles we’ve enjoyed reading recently:

Inspiring E15 mums fighting for social housing in London and against social cleansing 

Good article on the housing crisis and the importance and necessity of squatting