The Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP,

Secretary of State for

Housing, Communities and Local Government

House of Commons

London

SW1A 0AA

12th June 2020

Dear Mr Jenrick,

We applaud the UK Government’s decision as part of the coronavirus national response to offer emergency temporary accommodation to those who are street homeless, including those with No Recourse to Public Funds. Many people who would have been on the streets will have benefitted massively as a result of this intervention, and we are also hearing positive stories from homeless people and hotels which hosted them.

We are encouraged by the objective stated by Dame Louise Casey on 26th May of addressing the cooperation of local authorities, faith groups and charities ‘to build on the success of everyone in and try to make sure they don’t go back on the street’. You reinforced this aim in your address (published on 31st May) by adding to the statement, regarding the £3.8 billion given to councils, that ‘some people will need help to return to the private rental sector but others will need accommodation to be provided as it is a housing issue’.

However, we are dismayed that extended housing support will only be available to those who qualify for welfare benefits. In some areas this will result in a large number of people, up to 50% of those currently housed, returning to the streets at a time when homelessness services, such as day centres and night shelters, remain closed. This is a national catastrophe in the making, which we feel could inadvertently undo all the good work the Government has done on this important issue.

Citizens UK is a broad-based community organising network that draws together schools, universities, hospitals, mosques, churches, synagogues, charities and other community groups to work for justice, with over 250,000 people in the membership.

We are working on a number of fronts when it comes to issues of housing and homelessness but are writing today to share our concern about the imminent crisis facing those with No Recourse to Public Funds or with insecure immigration status. Many of our members are directly involved in supporting people experiencing homelessness, and we have a national team of leaders who are shaping local post-lockdown strategies. We are also campaigning for affordable and community-led housing that would ensure that all people have a safe and affordable place they can call home.

We would like to request a meeting with you by 30th June, to discuss how we can work together to develop better solutions and prevent the return of thousands of people to the streets, whom the Government are succeeding in supporting right now. In particular, we want to focus on the immediate extension of housing support for all people regardless of their immigration status.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Amanda Dubarry, CEO Caritas Anchor House

Citizens UK National Action Team members

Cpt John Clifton, Ilford Salvation Army

Fr Dominic Robinson, Chair of the Justice and Peace Commission, Archdiocese of Westminster

Rev Angus Ritchie, Centre for Theology and Community, Shadwell

Rev Richard Springer, St George’s in the East church, Shadwell

Bernadette Harris, St Thomas of Canterbury Church, Woodford Green

Shermara Fletcher, Open Table, Tower Hamlets

Andy Pakula, New Unity, Hackney

Revd Dr Simon Woodman, Bloomsbury Cantral Baptist Church, London

Daniel Holland, Salvation Army, Assistant Regional Manager for Homelessness Services (London Region)

Fr Gerard Mitchell, St Anselm’s RC Parish, Southall

John Murphy, Hope for Southall Street Homeless

Salma Ravat, One Roof Leicester, Leicester

Paul Samuels, St Peter’s and Paul’s RC Parish, Ilford

Harry McKeown, YMCA St Paul’s Group, Merton

Denis Tully, CEO Emmanuel House, Nottingham

Martin Wall, West Somerset Quakers

Nora Ponton, Latin American Citizens

Rebecca Stockman, YMCA, Merton

Fr Martin Poole, St Luke’s Church, Brighton

Luljeta Nuzi, Shpresa Programme, Newham

Fiona Carrick-Davies, Surrey Square Primary School, Southwark

Averil Watan, St Barnabas Church, Walthamstow

Marta Tildesley, School Home Support Practitioner, St Mary's Primary School Lewisham

Bilqis Salam, parent leader, St Mary's Primary Lewisham

Nirushan Sudarsan, Butetown, Citizens Cymru Wales

Adela Belecova, English For Action

Fr Dominic Howarth Caritas Diocese of Brentwood

Fr Quentin Jackson St Thomas of Canterbury Woodford Green

Marzena Cichon Centre for Theology and Community

Jazmine Sandison Caritas Anchor House

Kim Fitzwarine-Smith Broseley Methodist Church

Annette Wicks Wimbledon Salvation Army

Simon Jones Spurgeon's College

Rev Rosemary Shaw Southwark Diocese

Rev Jude Padfield St James in the City, Liverpool

Angie Allgood Bonny Downs community association

Major Nick Coke The Salvation Army Raynes Park

Pete Rogers St Nics

Shirin Ward Merton Priory Parish, Merton Citizens

Nathaniel Martin Ascension Trust

Jonathan Evens St Martin-in-the-Fields

Claire Moses St Mark's Church Mitcham

Alison Tsang Refugees Welcome Hounslow

Rachel Griffiths Herne Hill Welcomes Refugees

Joyce Fletcher COGOP UK

Sarah Mowat St Andrew's Church

Mary Schnorrenberg Lewisham Irish Centre

Simon Robinson Watnall Road Baptist church

Jacqueline Somerville Bloomsbury Baptist Church

Bernice DeLord Promas Caring for People CIC

Meriel Woodward Caritas Westminster

Angela Grant COGOP

Malcolm Green Justice and Peace

Pastor Ashley Taylor The House of Consecration

Leondre Douglas DIOKO

Hakan Erkan Caritas Anchor House

Heather Atkinson St Peter's Bethnal Green

Tim Norwood Milton Keynes Deanery

Peter Laing Newham Community Renewal Programme

Thomas Underwood Raynes Park Community Church

Daniel Stone University of Birmingham

Nicola Spurr Bayswater Covid-19 Mutual Aid

Rebecca Hopkins Medergy

Peter Ratcliffe Church in Wales

Michael Baker Leicester Central SDA Church

Helen Hayes One Roof Leicester

Clare Scott One Roof Leicester

Pauline Hall St Agnes RC Ghurch

Kathryn Brooks Trustee. Sandwell Homelessness & Resettlement Project

Winnie Obese-Bempong, All Saints Church Peckham

Alessandra Sciarra, Salvation Army

Abieyuwa Ehondor, Mumspace and Camberwell Salvation Army

Kees Maxey Brentwood United Reformed Church

Jessica Lanham Hot water bottle network Leicester

Gillie Howarth New unity. Hackney

Ralph Williamson St Peter's Eaton Square CofE Church

Simon Grigg St Paul''s Church, Covent Garden

Yasmin Alam Citizens Advice East End

Naomi Diamond Leicester Jewish Progressive Community

Ashleigh May, Mums on a Mission

Rhiannon Winstanely, Salvation Army, Ilford

Philip Hogan, St George's in the East

Norman Coe, Christian Kitchen

Jessica Allan Bournville Village Trust

Dr Carl Stevenson University or Birmingham

Rev'd Jeremy Fletcher Hampstead Parish Church

Debbie Brown Amy's Space

Rev Mike Barter St Matthew's Church, Ealing Common

Fran Hicks Quakers

Sonal Sher Founder, Knaphill St.Johns Brookwood Covid-19 Volunteer group

Graham Bowpitt Emmanuel House Support Centre, Nottingham

Vanessa Conant St Mary's Walthamstow

John Coleby Caritas Westminster

Pauline McCalla Christ the Saviour Church

Sheila Newbold Woodside Baptist Church

Bishop Melvin A Brooks New Jerusalem Apostolic Church

Mark Wainwright Brighton YMCA

Maria Ona Caritas

Colette Joyce Co-ordinator, Justice & Peace Commission, Archdiocese of Westminster

Marta Kukurowska Sadaka, Reading