There has been a lot in the media about council homes and it has received a lot of bad attention, with shows like Benefit Street and How to Get a Council House. However, council housing shouldn’t really be seen as a negative thing as it provides a vital service in providing a home for people who cannot satisfy their housing needs in the market, and that is an increasing amount of people. It’s strange that the NHS, fire brigade, rubbish collection etc. doesn’t have the stigma attached that social housing does, they all provide a service that is afforded by taxes, yet, council housing provides a service that is funded by tenant rents. So why am I so passionate about council houses? Well simple, I’m passionate about social justice and equality, but, yeah, council housing is one of my main passions because of a few reasons. Firstly, I care a lot about people that are stigmatised by some members of society, council tenants are definitely in that category along with the homeless, benefit recipients, disabled, mentally ill, learning disabilities and so many more that I could write a whole new blog about (and probably will). Secondly, I strongly believe that a safe home should be a basic human right, and should not be a commodity that can make profit for a few out of the misfortune of others, i.e. stuck paying higher rent than a mortgage would be because deposits are unaffordable. Finally, because of my story.
From birth I lived in council housing, I remember the first house I lived in until the age of 14. I can remember playing football and other games out on the street with other kids from the community. As a child I knew nothing about housing all I knew was that I had a home. My dad worked hard as a truck driver while my mum cared for her mum, we didn’t have much money and shared the house with some of my cousins when they became homeless. We moved when I was 14 as part of a council exchange to a four bed home which suited our needs better. After school I found a job which was very low paid as a trainee, however, was made redundant at Christmas. I then went on to work in a few temporary jobs but kept finding myself cycling between low paid jobs and unemployment. There was no way I could afford to leave home as I was never sure when I would have rent money.
Unfortunately, although I couldn’t afford to leave home that’s exactly what I did. After a very big argument with my parents I walked out and ended up sleeping rough or sofa surfing. I can easily understand why people with no home can turn to alcohol. I guess I’m one of the lucky ones because I managed to reconcile with my parents (tail between my legs) and found a job that lasted. I lived back with my parents for most of the time then, apart from a couple of failed attempts at moving out, in 2002 I met who is now my wife. She was living in a council house 70 miles away and we were only seeing each other on weekends so it was all arranged that she would transfer to a local council house in a mutual exchange, until we found out that she was pregnant and as the house she was living in was a lot bigger than the arranged exchange house we decided that I would move to her and live in her house. I found a decent job and lived happily knowing that once the rent was paid we had a safe warm place to raise our family.
In 2011 we decided to move to South Wales to live near the coast and my sister. Having left a reasonably well-paid job I found it difficult finding the perfect job so I decided that I would try to retrain and sent off an application to college to take an Access to Higher Education course, after attending an interview I was absolutely shocked to be accepted onto the course and was even more stunned when I started getting distinctions in my work. This was real now and I had to start thinking of a university course and personal statement. Social Work? No put off of that by social work module, psychology? Interesting but what career would it lead to. Then housing was suggested and after reading the course details all of the thoughts of me as a boy playing football in the street with a safe warm home to go back to, then me living on the streets, park benches in the middle of December, that was it the career for me. I’m now nearing the end of my second year in university and have just started placement. I think of my kids now unaware of the risks of private renting, just knowing that their home is here. I worry every day that my landlord may decide that he wants to sell up and I will be homeless once again.
We need homes to give us security and a council home gives that without the fear of a notice to quit coming through the letterbox. If I didn’t have a council home I would still be unemployed and homeless or maybe even dead. Instead I have a wonderful family and hopefully a good career in housing at the end of my course. Would I rather be living in a council home? Yes! I never judge because I have been there, it’s easy to say that poor people bring it on themselves but the truth is we all make bad choices and we are all at the mercy of fate, but some of us get lucky and some of don’t so don’t stigmatise those who have just been unlucky, and never look down on anyone, unless you are helping them up.
theninety9percent 