| |
Help for homeless
• EX-LABOUR councillor Pat Haynes must have been asleep at the last meeting of east area committee, where we discussed the planning brief for 393 Highbury Quadrant (Homeless lose centre, January 18). He seemed to have got the wrong end of the stick regarding the council’s plans and aspirations for its homeless reception centres.
I know it has been a number of years since he was on the council, so I thought I would update him on where we are regarding this issue.
Islington takes its duties to its residents seriously as we do the homeless that are our responsibility, so much so that his Labour colleagues in government have awarded Islington Council regional champion status in tackling the issue, one of only two councils in London.
I stand by my comments at the committee regarding this and a number of our other reception centres. A lot of the residents who have stayed in them will be glad to see the back of them. As someone who has visited them I couldn’t agree more.
I think it is a bit of a joke when he says that Labour “took their duties to the homeless seriously”. When we took over the council, these centres were in a terrible state and had suffered decades of under-investment under him and his Labour comrades. He may have tolerated that but my colleagues and I will not.
Our good management of homeless services has seen a refocus from hostels and reception centres to the use of temporary accommodation that better meets people’s needs, accommodation where people are not forced to share bathrooms and kitchens as they have to in a number of reception centres.
This council is glad to see the back of these municipal, substandard, run-down, badly designed dormitories. Why should the homeless be forced to live in conditions like this?
Cllr Terry Stacy
Lib Dem executive member for housing and communities
|
 |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
