Squatting to become a criminal act. Homeless fears grow. [UK]

I don't know enough about squatting and the laws involved, but to me it just seems like the government taking a populist decision to cheer up some of it's base support. The real problem that neither party want to talk about is the lack of housing and the lack of new housing being built. There are not enough homes for people to live in. that's a simple fact. Rented accommodation in certain areas is so expensive, you hardly have enough money for anything else.

We have a homeless crisis in the waiting and unless the government is prepared to build new homes, expect to see more people sleeping rough on the streets.

Why can’t these abandoned houses be sold/donated to charities that could use them to house three or four people in a house? I can’t see why Governments would rather see people on the streets than in houses that aren’t being used? Or they could be sold to Governments who could then knock the house down and build units or a small apartment complex. But in any case, why do rich people leave houses abandoned?

Although, if I had a holiday house somewhere I’d be pretty upset if squatters moved in and I couldn’t get them out.

reply to post by Foundryman


all property is theft! just kidding.

heres a personal example.
I was registered homeless. But at that time i was a single male. I was working in a crappy job stacking shelves by forklift for a garden centre. I did not get paid enough to rent and live. I was on the list for a council flat but single males are bottom of the list. Everyday i walked past the same empty council flats until one wet evening i was locked out of my friends parents house where i slept on the floor. They had a family emergency and left without telling me. A neighbour showed me a trick opening the coun cil flat windows and i moved in three doors down. I lived there for 1 and a half years. I had NO offers of council accomodation in that time. Not ONE.
but the council took me to court 3 times because they said they needed the building. Eventually they evicted me. The property remained empty for another year. Then it was sold along with about another 40 properties to become a car park for LIDLE supermarket.
They needed the building for profit, they were'nt thinking of me or even any homeless families.

reply to post by woodwardjnr


They do not need to build new homes, there are already thousands of empty properties. why not just fill the ones that are there alreay?

I hope all you taxpayers realise that we are gonna need a hell of a lot more jail space to put these people in. And won't it be wonderful for our government raking in all the extra cash from fines imposed as a result of this law?

I can't believe that in this day and age people will be convicted criminals just because they seek shelter on freezing winter nights.

Well now you're gonna have to pay for their stay in jail.

But never mind eh? As long as the useless, empty and derelict houses will remain useless, empty and derelict, it's worth it isn't it? (Sarc)

Originally posted by stumason
reply to post by mr-lizard

 

I don't think I understand what you're saying...

Care to elaborate on that point please?

What I mean is, is that it's much easier to find scare/horror stories about squats than it would be to find nice news and nice reports on squats, because bad news sells.

reply to post by mr-lizard


We have so many homless people here in the US!! We have empty buildings that are being used for nothing! Why cant they be turned into homes for people that do not have a home?? All this Government money that has been given to States and mis-used!! I Care!! If I knew how to get a hold on some of those Government Grants I would put it to good use!! The problem is- who the heck do you write to?? There is so much crap on the internet I just get disgusted and give up!!

I work everyday, and I still do not have enough money to provide me and my children our own home!! This pisses me off!! The American Dream no longer exist!! My children and I were suppose to get low-income housing by this November. I was told that I do not qualify because I made 22,000 dollars last year. They were counting all the over time that I work. This should have been based on my regular income not over-time!! They have different set limits for each county in each State. The income limit should be the same in all areas. The average rent here in NC is 500.00 a month for a decent place. This does not include power and water bill. If I work no over-time I only bring home around 350.00 a week. With over-time I can make 450.00 a week..I have not been able to obtain the 500.00 a week that I need so that me and my children can survive!! The prices of Food and Gas are horrible here!! Gas has went up to 4.00 a gallon. I have a Jeep Wrangler that cost around 60.00 a week just to go to work and back. Basically all of us regular people here in the US are just Working so we can get to work!!

I have no problem with accepting that I have to work 7 days a week..I just cant do 16 hours in one day. My job is very physical working in the Healthcare Field! I am working as a CNA and I take care of 10-13 people everyday. I also run the risk of catching all kinds of things. My job should be labeled Bi0-Hazzard but it is not. The work I do is very dangerous because I am working around Body Fluids everyday. I have to be so careful!! I love the people that I care for!! But I think I deserve to atleast be able to make a decent living!!

I am living with my boyfriend, and my youngest son 17 wanted to live with one of his friends. I pay all of his bills so atleast he can be happy! MY oldest son is 25 and has taken off to Nashville, TN to attempt to make it in the music business!! He and his girlfriend are doing fine! My youngest one is just no where near being ready to survive on his own!! I have been working so hard to find us a HOME!! My youngest son does not like my boyfriend or his 20 year old son. I wish we could just live and be a happy family, but I do not see marriage occurring. I deserve a husband that will take care of both me and my children!! I am doing the best I can to make everyone happy! My youngest son is my Baby Bear and means more to me than anyone!!

I must keep going and the best thing I can do is just work everyday. It is wearing my physical body out!! I feel so drained taking care of sick people!! There are no jobs around here..unless you want to work in Fast Food. Large companies are shutting down. I am thankful that atleast I have a job!

I was raised in a middle class home. My grandfather died at age 38 working himself to death to provide my mother and grandmother security. My grandfather built my mother a home and payed off his and my grandmothers home. My grandmother died and my mom and her husband moved in..my youngest son and I had been living in the basement apartment since his birth. I never thought that we would ever be without a home!! My mother is a selfish bitch and will not let us move back in the basement apartment.

Along time ago..I decided I would go back to college and try and make a life for me and my children! I finally made it and got my chance back in Sept-2006. I was accepted to work for US Customs and Border Patrol in Piegan, Montana. This job was in such a remote place that it came with housing!! I thought to myself finally I could provide me and my children with a home together!! I was attacked and taken from a Bridge in Charleston, West Virginia near the Amtrak Station. I was put on another Bridge about 1 or 2 miles from where I was located. I was found walking around in shock. I had to return to NC and was talking about being taken by Aliens. I was beat up by local cops and thrown into a Mental Hospital and TORTURED! This action taken against me ruined my career with Homeland Security. When I was released from the hospital..my mother threw me out on the street homeless!! I had sold all that I had to go and work for Homeland Security..which was my old Jeep Wrangler to my dad for like 1,200.00 and he threw in a Train ticket to get to Montana. My jeep was worth atleat 3,000 dollars but I was desperate and took what I could get out of it.

My family is just not worth a damn!! Continue-

reply to post by mr-lizard


Continued- My family offered me no help!! My mom allowed my youngest son to live with her..my oldest son was living with his dad at the time. I had to find somewhere to live..I had to move in with my crazy sister in Ellenboro, NC. All her and her husband did every day was smoke pot and live off of disability. I walked and found two jobs in the area. I then got a car loan to re-place my old jeep wrangler..a Angel by the name of Bill Faulk at the State Employee Credit Union in Belmont gave me a car loan. I worked my 2 jobs until I could save up enough money to get me and my children our own home. My rent was 500.00 a month so that meant I had to work 60 hours a week to make it as a CNA.Things were going ok..until my crazy mother went to the police and made up some non-sense and had Involuntary Committment Papers taken out on me again. The damn police illegally broke into my home and dragged me out of my home and took me away to another Mental Hospital..my youngest son was in school at the time I was taken! By the time I got released..I had missed to many days from work..I lost my jobs..I then lost the only home I had for me and my children!! My oldest still had his dad to live with..my youngest only had me. We had to move in with my boyfriend in Cherryville, NC. My youngest son hated the house and my boyfriend and his 20 year old son. My youngest son moved in with one of his friends in Kings Mountain, NC and I pay all of his bills so that he is ok. I have thought about just moving in with them!!

Anyway, I am leaving out details..and I will get to the point..Being Homeless puts you at a high risk!! My best advise is to stay away from the POLICE..the idiots may attempt to have you locked up in a Mental Hospital for just being Homeless!! It is a big money making business to lock some-one up in a Mental Hospital..they make about 3,000 dollars a day for everyday they hold you..and they screw the Government over with coding in the Medicare and Medicaid Insurance!! They kill people in these hospitals and are getting away with that!! The State gets kick-backs from Federal Funding!!

I am not proud to be American anylonger..and I hate the damn police and try and avoid them as much as possible!!

I go to work everyday and come home and sleep..that is about all I get to do!! I still have faith that someday I will find Happiness and be able to get me and my children out of this horrible state called NC!!

I wish you happiness and do whatever the hell you have to do to survive!! People just dont care and you have to take care of yourself in this world!!

Squatting happens because (pardon the meme) "The rent is too d### high!" Minimum wage and government assistance programs just aren't enough nor are they being honest in dealing with the problem.

What they need to do is break the middle ground by making it a lot easier to legally rent property temporarily and do so cheaply on terms and understanding that property is to be cared for and that the renter may be asked to leave on short notice.

I know if I was in the situation to do so and went on vacation, I wouldn't have qualms to rent at $100 a month if the person wouldn't trash the place or run up utilitiy bills and kept the yard nice looking. Likewise if I understood that I had to mow the lawn at least once a week and keep the place clean, and knew I would have to go within a day once somebody came back, it would be worth it for ridiculously cheap rent.

I know this kind of thing happens on unofficial grounds between friends or family, but there should be some legal basis to make such arrangements work on the record with strangers.

I think that would allow for affordable housing and eliminate a lot of the need for squatting.

However I don't think they'd bother to make something like that legal because it breaks the older property rental model (and pricing) and you'd still have slum-lord landlord types doing what they could to abuse it. Existing property liability law and things relating to insurance is likely a great hindrance in this regard too.