Southwark council’s appalling treatment of overcrowded families – join our online actions

Sign our petition here to demand Southwark council stop blaming victims of the housing crisis and give the families the help they are entitled to.

Join our twitter storm this Tuesday 2nd May from 1pm as well to demand immediate action from the council on these urgent cases. Please tweet housing councillor @steviecryan and council leader @peterjohn6

Tweet to @steviecryan and @peterjohn

Tweet to @peterjohn

Families who have faced homelessness and lived for years in unacceptable, overcrowded conditions are being denied priority on the housing register by Southwark council and the vital housing help they need.

A hateful and harmful decision by the council say that 4 HASL families caused their overcrowded housing conditions by a ‘deliberate act’.

No one would choose to live in these terrible conditions, with some families living in one small room for a number of years. In HASL, we’ve seen directly the impact this housing (and Southwark council’s treatment) has had on the families. You can watch a video we made here.

The council’s decision letter goes so far as to question why the families came to Southwark. Why are Southwark council getting a head start on implementing racist Brexit policies by denying vulnerable migrant families their rights?

We are calling on the council to immediately put the families in the priority band 1 that they qualify for so they can access the secure and suitable housing they desperately need.

Southwark council must stop blaming victims of the housing crisis.

Southwark council are making their vulnerable residents take them to court for the help they are entitled to. The legal process is stressful and can take many months. Southwark council must not put their residents through this and must resolve the situation immediately. 

El tratamiento pésimo desde el council de Southwark a las familias viviendo en hogares súperpoblados 

Southwark le está negando prioridad en el registro de hogares a las familias que se han quedado sin hogar y han vivido por años en condiciones inaceptables y superpobladas.

La decisión detestable y dañina por parte del council dice que cuatro familias de HASL han causado su situación de superpoblación por un ‘acto intencionado.’

Nadie elegiría vivir en esas condiciones horribles, con algunas familias viviendo en una habitación pequeña por varios años. Desde HASL, hemos visto el impacto negativo que las viviendas (y el tratamiento de Southwark) ha tenido en las familias.

La carta de decisión del council hasta cuestiona por qué las familias vinieron a Southwark. A través de la negación de los derechos a familias inmigrantes, ¿será que Southwark está empezando temprano con la implementación de las políticas racistas de Brexit?

Estamos demandando que el council immediatamente ponga a las familias en el ‘priority band 1’, en el cual tienen el derecho de estar, para que puedan acceder a los hogares seguros y estables que desesperadamente necesitan.

El council de Southwark debe parar de culpar a las víctimas de la crisis de vivienda.

Southwark está obligando que sus residentes vulnerables los lleven a la corte para poder acceder a la ayuda que legalmente se les debe. Este proceso es complicado y puede tardar meses, el council no debe poner a sus residentes bajo ese estrés y debe resolver esta situación inmediatamente.