London Coalition Against Poverty wins first two actions!

posi "shake in your boots bureacrat......."
Posts: 463 Joined: 24-09-05 Location: London
Submitted by posi on 8 August, 2007 - 16:06.

London Coalition Against Poverty (LCAP) is a new organisation in London, modeled closely on the work of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty. This is a report from our first two actions.

Quote:
Since Friday, LCAP has taken on two casework actions at Hackney Homeless Persons Unit (or "Housing Needs Office"). The first, on Firday the 3rd of August, was in support of a man who had been sleeping in a park for a week, after being excluded from his house by bail conditions. The office had told him on the previous Monday to come back on Thursday for an appointment - NOT with a homelessness officer, and after sleeping rough all that time he was told verbally that he was intentionally homeless. Three of us came back with him the next day and demanded he be given a homelessness interview, and that he be housed that night, and he was.

On Monday we returned with a young mother, who having fled her temporary accommodation due to violence and harassment had been sofa surfing since November. Hackney council had decided she was not homeless, completely disregarding guidance concerning the safety of victims of violence being paramount. In fact the woman concerned had faced further acts of violence as a result of the HPU forcing her to make a report to the police, and even then refusing to house her. Although we had to return the next day (Tuesday the 7th of August) for an interview, as she was pressured into staying one more night with a friend, she was also housed after her interview.

There are many more cases we can take on in the coming weeks. These two cases are not even unusual practice for Hackney HPU, rather noone seems to be well treated there unless they resort to direct action.

The group aims to take strategic action around issues related to poverty - homelessness, low wages, benefit payments - in London. One of the approaches we intend to use is the "direct action casework model" - which was successful in the instances described above. In the long run, we hope to build into larger campaigns. Our current focus, as suggested above, is "gatekeeping" - preventing homeless people from making applications - at HPUs.

We are still very young, and are open for people to get involved, especially if you can sometimes spare time during "normal" working hours, Monday to Friday. Get in touch.

Our next meeting is Thursday 16th August 7.30pm at the Cock Tavern (err, actually which Cock Tavern it is I don't know - Jason Cortez booked it).
londoncoalitionagainstpoverty{{@}}gmail.com
group phone: 07932 241737

Dundee_United "Paradise is Norway"
Posts: 999 Joined: 10-04-06 Location: Glasgow
8 August, 2007 - 16:09

Great stuff!

Tacks "in it to win it"
Posts: 4705 Joined: 08-11-05
8 August, 2007 - 16:22

is that not on mare..

actually yeah, what Cock Tavern?

good stuff anyway posi, well done smile

Lone Wolf "My Boots...Fit the Occasion Tonight. I'm Feeling Alright with the Crew"
Posts: 4286 Joined: 01-03-06 Location: E. London UK
8 August, 2007 - 17:03

Yeah great this kind of action gets results - fab well done. cool

MJ "tastes like gym socks, orchards and godhead"
Posts: 1892 Joined: 05-01-06 Location: Massachusetts
8 August, 2007 - 17:08

Excellent news. Build!!!

Steven. ""Best hair at Unison conference""
Posts: 1622 Joined: 27-06-06 Location: London
8 August, 2007 - 18:00

i would assume cock tavern near Euston

posi "shake in your boots bureacrat......."
Posts: 463 Joined: 24-09-05 Location: London
8 August, 2007 - 20:32

Yeah, so the Cock Tavern in question is; 23 Phoenix Road, London, NW1 1HB - thanks Jason.

Come to the meeting LW (and Tacks, if you're in London at the moment), or drop me a PM if you can't make it!

And check out the Raise the Rates film, about an OCAP campaign. We're gonna kick ass.

Tacks wrote:
is that not on mare..

uh, the Hackney HPU is near Mare St, behind the town hall, if that's what you mean...

Asher "Anarcho-Kyke Federation Of Aotearoa"
Posts: 828 Joined: 18-03-06 Location: Aotearoa / New Zealand
8 August, 2007 - 22:34

Wicked, sounds good. Nice work!

georgestapleton "an indistinguishable part of a nationalist front sticking up for Irish independence"
Posts: 1463 Joined: 04-08-05 Location: Dublin, Ireland
9 August, 2007 - 00:15

Yeah this looks like a really good development. Fair play to all those involved.

x357997 "go ahead, make my day...punk"
Posts: 1852 Joined: 04-12-06 Location: Yay Area
9 August, 2007 - 01:12

who all is involved? does it include many members from libertarian organizations?

Tacks "in it to win it"
Posts: 4705 Joined: 08-11-05
9 August, 2007 - 04:31

posi - sorry mate, out of action for about a month (and don't really live in london) but i'll get in touch when i'm back.

the button "jesus christ, john, have you actually even read any marx?"
Posts: 5636 Joined: 07-07-04 Location: Lewisham, London
9 August, 2007 - 07:30
Quote:
does it include many members from libertarian organizations?

South London SolFed's had someone involved in this from the beginning -- a poster on here who isn't me.

ftony "crews are for boats"
Posts: 3659 Joined: 26-05-04 Location: East London
9 August, 2007 - 08:32

ncie one posi. did you get my PM?

posi "shake in your boots bureacrat......."
Posts: 463 Joined: 24-09-05 Location: London
9 August, 2007 - 11:52

yup, gonna forward it round now and cc: you in.

ftony "crews are for boats"
Posts: 3659 Joined: 26-05-04 Location: East London
9 August, 2007 - 12:33

cool

vanilla.ice.baby "deviant mastermind"
Posts: 147 Joined: 09-08-07 Location: London
9 August, 2007 - 14:10

"Who is involved?"

Members of Solidarity Federation, Advisory Service for Squatters, Haringey Solidarity Group, Haringey Anti Poverty Intiative, Hackney Independent, National Coalition of Independent Advisors, CAB workers, Law Centre workers, Trade Unionists.

EdmontonWobbly "Sombre, jaded class warrior."
Posts: 1313 Joined: 25-03-06 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
9 August, 2007 - 15:21

This all pretty interesting, one of the main founders from OCAP is actually a brit eh? He's an old trot, but apparently on pretty good terms with Anarchists. This sounds really good and I hope you folks can keep it up.

gerrardw
Posts: 38 Joined: 11-11-06
9 August, 2007 - 17:25

Hey,

Really awesome stuff, well done folks! Hope this keeps goin and goes far.

Cheers!

Catch 22
Posts: 494 Joined: 01-04-06
9 August, 2007 - 17:34

good stuff. Cheers posi

Antieverything "3.2 on the oppresion-o-meter"
Posts: 317 Joined: 27-02-07
9 August, 2007 - 18:00

Excellent...like those stupid aggressive, vaguely athletic-themed t-shirts that kids wore back in school say: "winning is everything!"

Refused "LibCom's official social secretary"
Posts: 6193 Joined: 28-09-04 Location: Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
9 August, 2007 - 18:00

PosiXcore action.

posi "shake in your boots bureacrat......."
Posts: 463 Joined: 24-09-05 Location: London
13 August, 2007 - 21:24

A article is now in the Hackney Gazette- see http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/content/hackney/gazette/news/story.aspx?brand=HKYGOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newshkyg&itemid=WeED10%20Aug%202007%2011%3A23%3A15%3A493

Next organising meeting, Cock Tavern, 23 Phoenix Road, London, NW1 1HB; this Thursday, 7.30pm. Like I say, especially if you're available during 9-5 working hours, please get in touch

steven
Posts: 8 Joined: 31-08-06
24 August, 2007 - 15:11

I can think of at least one housing worker I know - non anarchist - who might be interested in this.

also i know of a struggle in a housing department against outsourcing/part privatisation of hostels, I could talk to some of the workers about hooking you up if you were interested?

I'm doubtful of the model myself, I think some stuff OCAP has done is pretty inspiring, but it seems quite substitutionist. Still, I don't think it's counter-productive in any way, and it could improve some individuals lives, so go for it.

Lone Wolf "My Boots...Fit the Occasion Tonight. I'm Feeling Alright with the Crew"
Posts: 4286 Joined: 01-03-06 Location: E. London UK
24 August, 2007 - 15:22

Posi

Oops soz Posi i didn't see you had kindly invited me to the meeting on 16 Aug and asked me to pm if i couldn't make it - i only just spotted that! embarrassed

Sadly i have a standing appt for Thu eves atm otherwise i would have loved to be able to support this and attend a Thu eve meetup..

Keep up the awesome work.

Love

LW XX

Stripey "Intersectionalist workers of the world"
Posts: 269 Joined: 30-10-03 Location: Ottawa, Canada
26 August, 2007 - 15:58

Hey good work folks.

Joey Only has a song about DACW you might be interested in called meeting niki (mp3: http://www.joeyonly.com/downloads/radicalfolk/joeyonly_meeting_niki.mp3 lyrics: http://www.joeyonly.com/lyrics/radical_folk.html#52070373 )

RevolutionReversal "non-anarcho...anarcha with a member"
Posts: 181 Joined: 07-04-06 Location: Northern Ontario, Anishnaabe Territory claimed by the Canadian State, Sudbury, Canada
26 August, 2007 - 16:10

Fucking awesome,nice to see people carrying on the tradition...