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sherlock75

Listed below are comments made by sherlock75 between Tuesday, 22nd April 2008 and Friday, 26th June 2009.

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Map of the Week: Homelessness crisis? What homelessness crisis? 12:11pm on 26 Jun 2009 Well said Gregory. Here's an example of rough sleeper statistics which was given earlier this year in Parliament, fiction is not too strong a word to describe them.

Table C: Number of rough sleepers (persons), Hampshire and England, 2004 to 2008
Mid-year estimate, based on count, or zero if no problem is known or suspected
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Basingstoke and Deane 2 0 0 0 0
East Hampshire 0 0 0 0 0
Eastleigh 0 0 0 0 0
Fareham 0 0 0 0 0
Gosport 0 0 0 0 0
Hart 0 0 0 0 0
Havant 0 0 0 0 0
New Forest 0 0 0 0 0
Portsmouth 0 6 0 0 0
Rushmoor 0 0 0 0 0
Southampton 0 0 0 6 0
Test Valley 0 0 0 0 0
Winchester 1 0 0 0 0
England 508 459 502 498 483

The following short documentary tells another 'story' re. rough sleepers:
http://www.youtube.com/v/cgH4zV2UQeE&hl=en&fs=1
Map of the Week: Homelessness crisis? What homelessness crisis? 2:26pm on 22 Jun 2009 Re: Comment 13, yours appeared while I was writing mine. You are so right.
Map of the Week: Homelessness crisis? What homelessness crisis? 2:22pm on 22 Jun 2009 As someone who's had recent experience of being made homeless and having helped someone else with their homelessness problem, I can say with authority that comments 6 and 9 are truthful, they know what it's all about, people are having to "jump through hoops" before they are included in the statistics.

Despite the fact that we both fulfilled all the legal criteria for urgent re-housing, "Gate-keeping" was used by my council in both cases. We were left to believe we were being processed as homeless and potentially homeless when in fact the council did no more than add our names to the housing register. After waiting a couple of weeks for a response from the council I went to them with written applications wishing to apply (as homeless under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 as amended by the Homelessness Act 2002) before they would do anything.

At this stage I was discouraged by the council making legally unsound excuses for potentially refusing our applications, this was done by front of house "Options Team" persons who were their least qualified minions. They could be a convenient and dispensable scapegoat for the council if I took them to County Court and the Housing Ombudsman over their maladministration, I was obliged to use these threats because we were being "fobbed-off" each time.

The council took an extraordinary 56 days processing after I applied before they accepted their homelessness duty (33 days maximum is the target suggested by "The Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities - ODPM 2002"). As a result of this I wasn't awarded my correct housing points until it was too late and missed many opportunities of social housing where I would otherwise have been the successful applicant. Incidentally, almost all private sector lets around my area stipulate employed tenants only - just my bad luck being single-male, disabled and no dependent children.

Eventually I did get social housing (see commentator 6, "unlawful allocations policy", my own points were mysteriously bumped-up, if only to avoid them an embarrassing defeat and subsequent media exposure) but this was 4 months after I first approached my council with my eviction notice in my hand. During the final 6 weeks I was liable for a County Court repossession order followed by eviction by the bailiffs - all claimed against and paid for by myself.

My council took me to the edge of mental breakdown and thoughts of suicide, then offered me temporary and wholly unsuitable accommodation in a B&B in another county, possibly in the certain hope that I would mentally deteriorate and break the house rules whereby I would be evicted and be classified as "intentionally homeless" by the council who would then claim that they owed me no further homelessness duty.
The person I had been helping was treated in this manner, she was advised by the council to cut contact with me and my advice, she was put into a hostel unsuitable to her needs and this (eviction) is exactly what happened to her until I found out and sent her to the CAB who lodged a late appeal because the council unlawfully failed to tell her she had only 21 days to request a review of their decision or that she had the right to a review regarding the suitability of the housing which she was offered. I found more than 5 instances where the council failed to follow important ODPM guidance.

I hope this answers the rhetorical question "What homelessness crisis?"
Is it lift off for Linux? 5:05pm on 22 Apr 2008 Thanks for your pm comments peeps, they have converted me to using Linux and Ubuntu as from now for all new IT projects, thanks for dispelling the myth that drivers would be a problem. As an amateur, I was already converted to using open source software ever since I tried FileZilla (15 months ago) and then began using a WAMP Apache Server combo a few months later. Thanks to your comments I now see that in the future LINUX will prevail.

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