Without safe housing, women leaving prison face the choice between cells or the streets
The fear of homelessness is so strong, that some women leaving prison are choosing to remain in a cell than face the harsh realities of Britain’s housing market. That’s according to a recent report from the HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP), which found that two-thirds of inmates leaving HMP Bronzefield in Ashford, Europe’s largest women’s…
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Call for New Ideas: one of the best experiences of my time in the homeless sector
Aidan Byrne, Homelessness Service Manager at successful 2021 Call for New Ideas applicant East Belfast Mission, reflects on his organisation’s journey with Commonweal’s Call for New Ideas: I have worked in the homeless sector in Belfast for over 15 years. For most of this time I have managed Hosford, the homeless service of East Belfast…
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LGBTQ+ people must no longer be the “invisible minorities” of the housing sector
The “invisible minorities” of the UK housing system, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people have for too long been sat at the margins of homelessness support, with “limited awareness, funding and research on understanding and solving LGBTQ+ housing issues”, according to World Habitat Foundation. LGBTQ+ people are overrepresented in the homeless population, with…
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Breaking barriers into rented accommodation with Freedom2Work
It’s been an exciting time for us at Rentstart to have been nominated alongside Commonweal for three awards over the last few months. Even to receive the finalist nominations felt affirming for a project that we have put so much effort into over the last five years: one that we hope will grow and replicate.…
Read MoreHousing is the heart of recovery for survivors of violence against women
Today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It’s one of the most pervasive social injustices we face, in the UK and around the world. Domestic violence affects almost one in three women aged 16-59 in England and Wales and sweeps away the safety and security normally associated with home. This…
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The Nationality and Borders Bill will wash away the last vestige of safety for desperate migrants
It seems that we are at that point in the Summer season again, where the headlines harbour news of supposed crisis after crisis at the Southern shores of Britain. On Monday, a record 430 migrants crossed the Channel, with frontpages and newsreels splashing images of the jubilant new arrivals. But as the government’s new Nationality…
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