Wed 20 Nov 2019, 04:55 AM | Posted by editor
LETTER from Mark Langabeer, member of Newton Abbot Labour Party.
Dispatches reported on the growing number of babies born homeless. There are no statistics available on the actual numbers, but a survey of midwives suggests that the number born homeless is increasing. The programme revolved around three women who are in temporary housing in the inner London boroughs of Lambeth, Hackney and Southwark. All of them had to live in accommodation that was unsuited for families with babies and young children.
Of the 250 Midwives surveyed, 99% have treated expectant mothers who are homeless on a daily basis. The couple in Lambeth were evicted when the landlord was informed of the pregnancy. When they contacted the council, they were only offered hostel accommodation with a shared toilet and bathroom. Lambeth have around 2000 living in temporary accommodation, which is amongst the worst in the UK. This is the consequence of slashing council budgets since 2010.
The single mum of two, with a baby on the way had lived in temporary accommodation for three years. They shared a single room and Hackney Council would only rehouse her after the birth. Midwives believe that the stress of homelessness causes great health risks. Research suggests that it can affect babies’ growth and future development. The single mum in Southwark was living in a single-bedroom flat and her and two young children were having to share the same bed.
These appalling conditions faced by many pregnant mothers and new-borns is the direct result of Tory cutbacks and the lack of social housing. Labour’s programme must include proper, enforceable rights given to tenants, and a crash programme of council house building at affordable rents. In order to achieve this goal, land held by developers should be taken into public ownership. Only then can housing be based on peoples’ needs rather than private profit.
