As we think of those less fortunate than ourselves at this time of year, shadow housing spokesman Grant Shapps is today launching the Conservative blueprint to tackle homelessness.
This time last year, he spent a night sleeping rough and recorded his experience here on ConservativeHome.
The blueprint being launched today aims to go beyond dealing with homelessness purely as a problem of housing, but instead accepting the multi-faceted nature of homelessness. One key point which it aims to address is the way in which some released prisoners quickly re-offend because jail provides a roof over their heads.
Among the measures being proposed by the party, according to today's newspapers, are:
- Criminals being made to save part of their prison pay to fund accommodation on their release;
- Ensuring that troops returning from the frontline are not put at the bottom of waiting lists for housing;
- Making rough sleeping statistics more accurate;
- Reforming benefits to make sure people were better off by getting a job.
This is how the Telegraph explains the scheme being proposed for prisoners:
"Under his proposal, most pay for prison work would go into a fund for victims, some kept for purchases behind bars and the rest put in a "trust". That money would partly be used to secure accommodation - probably in the private rented sector."
Mr Shapps was also keen to stress his aim to look after "heroic servicemen" who have served overseas:
"When people have put their lives at risk for the sake of our security it is a national disgrace that they can return from service with no certainty about their living conditions."
I'll add a link to the more detailed proposals when they are published later this morning.
Update: You can now download the pdf document by clicking here or look at it and other documents about homelessness at Grant Shapps' website. As Grant points out, there has been a cross-departmental approach on this document, so the sections relating to prisoners, for example, have involved Nick Herbert and the Justice team - some of whose ideas were put forward in their Prisons with a Purpose policy paper.
Jonathan Isaby
Not a bad suggestion by any means.
When criminals are kicked out after finishing their sentence with just £50 or so in their pocket and no accommodation, is it any surprise that they end up reoffending?
Posted by: Letters From A Tory | December 24, 2008 at 09:24
One point - don't give the money to the criminals if they have known drug or alcohol dependencies for obvious reasons. Arrange for the trust to pay their rent and bills and a weekly allowance.
Posted by: Hawkeye | December 24, 2008 at 11:09
Excellent work and suggestions from caring Conservatism. Well done to all involved and in particular Grant.
Posted by: m dowding | December 24, 2008 at 11:49
ALL government policies rely on perpetuating the illusion of credit.
We're as near damn it in the same boat to Norway as Iceland and in the same wigwam's as tens of thousands of Americans who live in poverty.
The only reforms we need in a 'real' economy is a return to those of the Dickensian era with prison for debtors, gallows for murderers, gruel for breakfast, dinner and tea, and restoration of the Royal Mail to give them some mailbags to sew.
Also, they shouldn't be 'paid' to work in prison they should be flogged for refusing.
Posted by: rugfish | December 24, 2008 at 12:10
I think that Rugfish has forgotten that we are supposed to be a "civilised Society". I wonder how Rugfish him/herself would take to doing porridge for "the great crime" of simply falling on hard times and not being able to pay your bills.
I'm a great believer in the need for greater personal responsibility, but surely there must be a way of achieving it through eduction rather than the launching into the heavy handed tactics (which in any other set of circumstances would be called bullying and assult)proposed by Rugfish.
I suspect that in order to reduce the numbers affected by drink/drug dependancy and homelessness issues - and the costs and social problems associated with them, then we need to deal with the taboo subject of mental health treatment which (I believe) in the majority of cases is a major factor. Only then may we see the tide turn on this problem.
Posted by: Paz | December 24, 2008 at 12:51
Prison for debtors? Gee that's just about the whole of the UK in debt. Since there aren't enough prison places I guess we could just put up barbed wire along the coastlines. Labour would be happy with that plan I am sure.
Posted by: meli | December 24, 2008 at 12:57
And what will you do with all the Eastern Europeans who according to a report on our local radio have made up the majority who have been knocking on the churches door. I believe that they should return to there own country, what would you do?
Posted by: Notory | December 24, 2008 at 13:29
Well 'SOMETHING' has to be done.
Okay so my Dickensian approach might have been a tad OTT but I'd still say this lovey dovey everything is wonderful approach is the real cause behind an every increasing liberalism which merely changes the perception of many to think it's good to be bad.
Debtors might not need to be flung in jail but they do need something of a shock.
Typically, only yesterday a woman who has a monthly take home pay of £1,000, told me she'd bought her boyfriend a £1,000 engagement ring and spent another £1,500 on Xmas presents and was off out again that day to "get the rest in" with her newly arrived credit card as the other had maxed out. It's people like her who will cause people like me to lose £000's on the value of our homes and others to lose them altogether whilst she carries on regardless with her spending.
As for paying prisoners, such a thing is a nonsense I believe when 'hard time' is simply a way for some to avoid the dole queue which was helped to form as a result of the lady and her idea of Xmas which is as far removed from good life values as you can get.
Posted by: rugfish | December 24, 2008 at 13:38
As a model of the new "caring sharing" Conservatism you don't get much better than Grant Shapps.
Another innovative statement of intent allied with robust policy ideas that Shapps has come up with.
Its great, if you like that sort of thing!
Posted by: Oddball | December 24, 2008 at 15:16
Rugfish is onto something on the criminal side, but debt is not a crime and the proper place for dealing with it is in the civil courts, not by putting people behind bars. That doesn't actually help anyone: not the debtor, not the creditor, and not the rest of the public.
Posted by: Dave J | December 24, 2008 at 15:31
Rugfish, FWIW, I believe "prison wages" in my own Florida run about 4-10 cents an hour, and most of that is garnished until any restitution owed any victims is paid in full.
Posted by: Dave J | December 24, 2008 at 17:54
We'll be talking about the problem of homelessness on News Talk Online on Paltalk.com at 5 PM New York time Monday December 29 with my guest, Lindsey Davis, from the Coalition for the Homeless.
Please go to www.garybaumgarten.com and click on the Join The Show link to participate.
Thanks,
Gary
Posted by: Gary Baumgarten | December 26, 2008 at 15:53