history of homelessnes lec5

• Homelessness Law & Policy focus on the history of homelessness provision and regulation

Periods of focus

• Early period to 18th century (before 1800) involving Settlement laws, vagrancy laws, and poor laws
• 19th century (1800 to 1900) encompassing industrialisation and philanthropists
• First half of the 20th century until 1945, defined by the first large scale house-building by the state
• Second half of the 20th century involves the growth and decline of Council housing and the development of homelessness law
• 21st century includes the rise of homelessness prevention, increased use of the private sector, and weakening security for tenants

Issues for Consideration

• Examination of the roles of the state and the private sector
• Consideration of experiences of ethnic minority groups and inequalities related to gender, sexuality, and social class
• Inquiry into whether current homelessness levels indicate a failure of housing policy
• Investigation into whether laws and policies provide sanctuary or sanction
• Examination of the part policy and law play in social housing allocation
• Analysis of how perceptions and policies towards people experiencing homelessness have changed through history

Early History (Pre-1800)

• Vagrancy laws aimed to control and prevent vagrancy, rough sleeping, and homelessness
• A vagrant was defined as an idle person without visible means of support
• The 7th century saw King Hlothaere passing laws to punish vagrants
• Criminal offences resulted in severe punishments
• Poor Laws from the 16th century onwards provided assistance to prevent starvation for the deserving
• Settlement Laws controlling workers prohibited agricultural workers from moving to a different area

Early History (Pre-1800) Continued

• Poor Laws initiated poor relief as the first form of local welfare provision
• Poor Law recipients were made to wear the letter 'P'
• In the 16th century, vagrants were housed in bridewells or Houses of Correction or Industry by the state
• Workhouses in the 18th century had a system of punishment involving 12 hours of work per day to earn daily food, often with attached stigma

Victorian Times (1800s)

• Work ethic was characterized by hard work, thrift, and respectability
• The Vagrancy Act of 1824 suppressed vagrancy, punishing idle and disorderly persons, and rogues and vagabonds
• This act continued control of itinerant poor people who were homeless
• The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 focused on the deserving poor
• The Relief was mainly provided through workhouses
• Conditions were purposefully set below the standard of living of the lowest paid labourers
• Charlie Chaplin lived in a workhouse at age 7
• Those capable of work had to work

Victorian Housing Programs

• Urbanisation led to migration into cities for factory jobs

20th Century: Housing Supply

• Housing stock and supply are involved in Housing policy
• Involvement from State, the private and the Public sectors
• Political Short-termism impacts Housing policy
• World wars and Covid major impacts

20th Century Trends

• From 1900 to 2000 owner occupation grew from 10% to 68%
• The proportion of private renters decreased while homeowners increased
• Beginning in the 1980s, private sector's financial role increased, and Council owned homes substantially reduced
• Globalization of finance and financial institutions increased
• House building inconsistency
• Homelessness and homelessness law expanded (from 1977)

20th Century (1900–1950): Subsidies and Housing Act

• 70% of people lived in private rented accommodation in 1918
• Riots led to rents controlled during WWI
• Housing & Planning Act 1919 (Addison Act) first initiative for large scale housing provision by the state with "homes fit for heroes"
• Between 1919 and 1933, Councils built around 0.5 million homes

20th Century (1900–1950): National Assistance Act

• There was a housing crisis after WWII
• The National Assistance Act 1948 was social welfare, abolished workhouses and replaced poor laws
• This put the duty on Social Services - housing assistance and care for persons by reasons of age, infirmity or other circumstances
• Temporary housing was set up for those in urgent need

20th Century (1950s–1970s): Increase of Council Housing

• Private rented sector had poor conditions, notorious bad landlords and race discrimination
• Local authorities built substantial housing (prefabricated, tower blocks and other poor quality buildings)
• Approximately a third of the population lived in Council housing
• By the 1970s, Council estates became rundown
• There was a social stigma
• Home ownership grew
• The National Assistance Act 1948 poorly implemented

Housing Stock (1945-2015)

• After WWII, priority was given to building new housing between 1945-1955
• Private company house building decreased by 1990
• Council housing diminished due to the right to buy
• By 2012-2013 the total number of homes decreased since WWII
• Housing became a political issue by the election of 2015

20th Century (1980s) & The Right to Buy

• The Housing Act of 1980 allowed people to buy Council homes
• This promoted property owning democracy, but the Labour party opposed it
• Governments failed for local authorities to use proceeds to create new homes
• Council homes suffered significant loss as result
• From 2021-2030 there's a projected net loss of 3.61%

20th Century Housing Assocation Rise

• Housing co-ops appeared in the late 1960s and 1970's
• The initial goal was to create social housing & support
• They formed from a variety of private and public sources
• Became more commercials through mergers
• Genesis will no longer build social housing and blames for not building social homes because of cuts to funding

Housing association minority group origins

• In response to discrimination against Black and other ethnic minorities in the private rented sector who could not get any sort of help
• Created for discriminated against people without the means to be helped
• Created powerful individuals able to help support the community and empower others

1980's - Globalisation, privatisation, home ownership

• Banks were deregulated
• New banking allowed mortgages to be bundled with investment creating international trade
• Rise in prices helped homeowners re-mortgaging
• Increase in buy-to-let markets and 'small business' landlords
• Impacts to politics

Homelessness Law

• Duty of housing placed of authorities and rights to applicants in 1977
• Cathy come home was the issue of growing problem of domestic homelessness
• The intentional homelessness test limitations caused by political compromise
• Single people not in priority need gained little effect from the rules

Housing Act of 1996

• People were stuck in council housing called "ghettoised"
• Single stigmatized mothers helped while the rules wanted to help couples start familys
• Full housing limited to to 2 years full under the Housing Act

Statutes on homlessness

• Partnership in homelessness
• Limit on homelessness removal of 2 years limit
• Allows private 12 month discharge
• Localism Act 2011

Localism Act (social housing)

• Some people cannot qualify
• A reasonable preferance is given to those homeless
• Those experiencing domestic abuse can experience trouble

Erosion of tenancy security

• Council Tenancies: Housing Act 1985, Housing. Act 1996, Localism Act 2011 & Housing and Planning Act 2016
• Private Tenancies: Rent Act 1977, Housing Act 1988 & Housing Act 1996

21st century and homlessness precention

• There were criticisms an exercise of containment, for a 1990 plan to help the rough sleepers
• More than a roof created centeral government buildings and housing

Coalition Government Actions (2010-2015)

• New Ministerial working group on tackling homelessness
• The vision to end rough sleeping nationwide
• Costs to homelesness estimated to be £24,500 a person
• Preventatitive measures encouraged

The Covid issue

• Everyone in intitiative
• Eviction holds
• Government implemented regulations to suspend most court possession cases (But new streams and court cases put pressure)

Explore Victorian-era poverty, workhouses, housing, and social reform. The quiz covers the Poor Law Amendment Act, societal attitudes, philanthropy, and the impact of urbanization. Also includes vagrancy laws and their historical context.