Working with the Shared health Foundation to help children & families in temporary accommodation in Oldham

Thank you to the Shared Health Foundation for meeting with me last week to discuss the work they do locally to support children & families in temporary accommodation. They are experts in health inequalities which, as a clinically-led & evidence-based not-for-profit established on Fitton Hill, to work across Greater Manchester, from the ground up, to identify the impacts of poverty on health due to their passion about reducing the impact poverty has on health.

Their work to develop initiatives, provide practical support, promote existing grassroots projects, and share insights with local and national organisations to reduce these health inequalities is commendable.

In our work to raise the awareness of the ongoing crisis in temporary accommodation in Oldham, we pointed out in February that the number of children in temporary accommodation in our borough with their family has hit an unacceptable 𝟲𝟵𝟬.

While much of the accommodation will meet the required standard, there is no doubt at all that some are not what we would want for our own families, often single rooms for whole families, some away from primary schools, as well as friends and family support.

Last week, I saw this first hand with the Shared Health Foundation when we met with families in this situation and met at The Crib, Shared Health’s forward operating base in the town centre where they educate and distribute essentials to families.

One of the priorities we put forward for local people at last year’s general election was to deliver more decent family homes for local people and ending the crisis in temporary accommodation is a crucial part of that.

Locally we are:

Carrying out our 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆, like with the Oldham Town Living Development Framework to drive town centre footfall, boost the housing stock, and meet the Council’s pledge of 𝟱𝟬𝟬 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 as part of their ‘local solutions to a national crisis’

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 ‘𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲-𝗳𝗼𝗿-𝗮𝗹𝗹’ on our borough’s greenbelt land through the local plan Places for Everyone.

Liaising with FCHO and other local housing associations through my constituency casework team.

Working closely with the Council to bring down housing waiting lists.

Promoting local sensible housebuilding in 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗲 & 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄 developments

𝗧𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗠𝗢 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 by taking community concerns into account & stopping low quality housing.

More widely, the government is:

Delivering planning reforms which independently forecast the 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝟰𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀.

Legislating to 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟭 ‘𝗻𝗼-𝗳𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁’ 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 in our Renters Reform Bill.

Independently estimated to build 1.3 million homes, already 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟭.𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 promise we made at the election last year.

£𝟯𝟵 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 & 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 10-year programme confirmed

Tackling child poverty through the rolling out of our free breakfast club programme in every primary school and 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀.

Rebuilding local government through multi-year funding settlements, structural reorganisation, and the fair funding review so that 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀.

This crisis has been brewing for 14 years under the Conservatives and we understand that the scale of our response must match the scale of the problem. No family should have to raise their children in temporary accommodation.

As I said to the House of Commons in June, “𝙞𝒇 𝒊𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝒐𝙩 𝙜𝒐𝙤𝒅 𝒆𝙣𝒐𝙪𝒈𝙝 𝙛𝒐𝙧 𝙤𝒖𝙧 𝙤𝒘𝙣 𝙘𝒉𝙞𝒍𝙙𝒓𝙚𝒏, 𝙞𝒕’𝒔 𝒏𝙤𝒕 𝒈𝙤𝒐𝙙 𝙚𝒏𝙤𝒖𝙜𝒉 𝒇𝙤𝒓 𝒂𝙣𝒚 𝒄𝙝𝒊𝙡𝒅.”