"Organisations including the Big Issue, Women's Aid, Shelter and Resonance sent a letter to housing minister Matthew Pennycook MP calling for action to be taken to get them back in use. Lord John Bird, founder of the Big Issue magazine, said every empty home was "a sign that there is a problem" when it came to tackling the "housing emergency" efficiently."
"In Hackney's De Beauvoir Estate, 49 homes which were previously used for temporary accommodation have stood empty for at least two years, in three buildings which have collapsed or blocked drains and leaks. Before the council boarded them up last year, some of the flats were occupied by squatters, causing concern among residents who showed BBC London photos taken inside the homes of knives, drug paraphernalia and blood-stained napkins dumped on surfaces."
"Sherri, who lives in a block where the entire ground and first floor remain empty, said she had "seen people who are not a part of the community drunk. I've seen rough sleepers underneath our fire exit stairs. Antisocial behaviour - dogs barking all hours of the day "There are so many vulnerable people in this building - octogenarians, kids. It was strange be"
Estimates put more than a million homes in England unoccupied, including over 309,000 classed as long-term empty. Charities and housing groups wrote to housing minister Matthew Pennycook calling for action to return empty properties to use. Lord John Bird said every empty home is a sign of a problem and that the housing crisis requires a toolbox, including turning every house into a useful, occupied property. The government said it is setting out plans to make it easier to bring empty homes back into use. In Hackney, 49 former temporary-accommodation homes have stood empty for at least two years, with collapsed buildings, leaks, squatter occupation and resident safety concerns.
Read at www.bbc.com
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