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Huge coronavirus risk among hidden homeless, charity for homeless mothers warns
A charity for homeless mothers has warned that government will have to scrap checks on immigration status and “bunfights” over which council is responsible for support, to ensure families are able to access safe accommodation and ensure public safety.
Jane Williams, founder of Newham-based The Magpie Project, said: “Our main concern for our mums is they are living in non-self-contained accommodation so they’ve got no way to self isolate.”
Acording to Ms Williams, 80 families in Newham are currently living with no food storage or cooking facilities.
She said: “And those are the ones Newham knows about placed by Newham. Newham, as the local authority, is expected to respond to this on the ground, and they don’t know where Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Westminster have placed their people in Newham.
“There’s going to be a massive bunfight over whose responsibility they are. My plea would be help people on the ground according to need and let’s sort out invoicing people afterwards.”
The Magpie Project supports homeless mothers in Newham and in normal times runs playgroups, distributes food and essentials such as nappies, and connects mums to legal, housing and other advice services.
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Alongside families housed in temporary accommodation by housing departments, The Magpie Project warned that there is a huge grey area when it comes to families housed by social services under Section 17, which is the part of the Children Act that states authorities are obligated under law to house children.
The charity also says there is a grey area around families housed by the National Asylum Support Service and families housed in temporary accommodation out of borough.
There are also an unknown number of families sofa surfing and in other unsuitable accommodation, but under the radar due to immigration issues, for whom an immigration amnesty may be needed in order to ensure public safety.
Ms Williams added: “National government, local government, London councils – [they] haven’t got an accurate picture of how many people there are in this situation.
"I know that rough sleeping is a terrible, terrible tragedy. But what about all the children and babies in non-self-contained accommodation. All the homelessness stuff is concentrated on the visible tip of the iceberg. The whole bulk of the iceberg underneath, including newborn babies, is just ignored.”
The Magpie Project is in the process of shifting its activities to online support, using WhatsApp groups and Facebook, and expects that the council will soon take over providing direct support such as food and other essentials.
Ms Williams says the shortage of nappies and formula is a “disaster” for mothers who are homeless, in temporary and emergency accommodation, and living on a very small income.
The charity has already seen mums watering down formula due to supermarket shortages, a practice which can cause seizures in babies. It is in discussions with supermarkets to buy formula to avoid this occurring. It is planning an online potty training group to help mums cope with the shortage of nappies.
Many of the mums supported by the project are living in accommodation with no private bathrooms, kitchens or food storage, making the advice to self-isolate impossible to follow, as well as making it difficult to store food for 14 days of quarantine if they become unwell.
“We’re all so intimately connected, we are only as well off as our least well-off community member,” Ms Williams said.
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