This afternoon was at a brilliant proactive meeting in the Dean's Yard Westminster Abbey for the "Launch of Social Housing, Affordable Rents & Elimination of Homelessness Bill." Thanks to Taxpayers against Poverty for organising this meeting and putting together the bill to present to parliament. You can join in with this link to the livestream of the meeting and speakers. I took the copy of Gutsy Women with me to read on the train on the way to the meeting and was able to tweet to Hillary Clinton the photo above and where I was. I love twitter for this. The book is keeping me strong after the shock wave of election results. The problem of homelessness and falling economic systems is a global issue as well as a national issue. I have before highlighted that it is the failing of world leaders to stick to their UN pledge of the 1980s to prepare their infrastructures for the predicted - now in population explosion. The 2013 Slums & Resettlement report was demonstrating the growing problem of failing to prepare. In the UK we have had 10yrs of a Tory government enforcing their political agenda of austerity with cuts in services and benefits this has exacerbated problems on a grand scale. With this rise in housing prices & rents leading to evictions and homelessness. So factors - inadequate housing numbers, unaffordable housing, austerity with also the development of zero hour contracts & short term contracts leading to being Precariats as a consequence. This is my input of thoughts as I write this blog post. I have hand outs and references to read up on for a further post later in the week. But the livestream you tube of the meeting is linked in to this blog post for you to see and hear the meeting. You will hear my question to the panel that in the light of the new government and massive new Tory MPs, how are we to get them to listen when over the years they have not listened to the APPG poverty and dismissed the UN report on poverty by Philip Alston... yes I am talking about the UK in the 21st Century and poverty. We can only appeal to the PM to be a real statesman and act with compassion to ensure citizens have the dignity of shelter. We also cannot have malpolicies failing those in need of help and then accruing said rent arrears and debts when in fact it was not their individual failings to pay ......but a system failing to support them in order to pay. I will link you to my Women's Voices to be Heard blog for you to see how I have had to battle on the frontline of the malpolicies. My pain turned into campaign as I see a system in URGENT need to be reformed to help the many in need of financial dignity. Below are some of my photos taken from the day and from the Abbey shop too.
