if you voted for the Tories, you should feel personally responsible when you see homeless people on the streets ...

[aufaniae]

...once their policies start to bite.

They want to removing housing benefit for under 25s, many of whom have children. Just one of their policies which will drive people into homelessness.

I thought this was meant to be a civilised country. If the safety net is removed, many people including children will fall through it, some of them ending up on the streets.

How can anyone support that?

[aufaniae]

Homelessness has a great effect on a child's health and well-being, even if they're not actually on the streets, but in temporary accommodation.

The following is taken from an article on the Shelter website (and is all properly sourced and based on evidence).

If you vote Tory, you're voting for more of this. Not maybe. Definitely. ...

The impact of homelessness on children

A study undertaken in Birmingham found that 40 per cent of the homeless children studied were still suffering mental and developmental problems one year after being rehoused.

Effects on health

• Poor housing conditions increase the risk of severe ill-health or disability by up to 25 per cent during childhood and early adulthood.
  
• Children in bad housing are almost twice as likely to suffer from poor health as other children.
  

Effects on education

• Two thirds of respondents to a Shelter survey among homeless households living in temporary accommodation said their children had problems at school.
  
• Children living in bad housing are nearly twice as likely as other children to leave school without any GCSEs.
  

Effects on emotional well-being

• Homeless children never know where they will be moved to next and many develop anxiety, depression and behavioural problems along the way. Children living in cramped accommodation can experience hyperactivity, aggression, bedwetting, soiling and disturbed sleep patterns.
  

• Nearly half of respondents to a Shelter survey on temporary accommodation described their children as ?often unhappy or depressed?.
  

• Mental health problems such as anxiety and depression are three times as common among homeless children who have lived in temporary accommodation for more than a year.
  

• Homeless children have six times as many speech and stammering problems compared with non-homeless children.
  

Effects on life chances

• Evidence suggests that homeless children tend to have lower academic achievements which can increase the likelihood of insecure or low-paid jobs or unemployment in the future.
  

• Long-term health problems affect employment opportunities later in life.
  

• With all these obstacles pitted against them during their formative years, children growing up in bad housing often spend the rest of their lives struggling to catch up. Evidence also suggests that those who suffer bad housing run an increased risk of homelessness in adulthood.

[pumpkinsweetie]

I agree wholeheartedly with op!
I didn't vote for conservitives and neither did anyone i know but i do know people who didn't bother to vote at all and they are also to blame for this coalition goverment.

Atleast labour cared for the poor and put us first, debt problems aside.
This goverment may be sorting out the national debt, but it is us the poor or working class that will suffer.

Conservitives are for the posh toffs, always have been, always will be-whoever voted for them or didn't bother to vote at all are to blame for allowing them back again.

[Ephiny]

I didn't vote Tory in the last election (think I voted Green actually but I've gone off them in recent years), but I quite possibly will next time.

Don't necessarily agree with everything they do/say, but there's no party I do 100% agree with (surely there isn't for anyone?). As for the proposed housing benefit change, it depends exactly what is being proposed, and I haven't actually seen anything definite or detailed on that yet!

[Viviennemary]

I don't think the removing of housing benefits for under 25's applies to those with children. I wish people would stop this scaremongering.

[whistlestopcafe]

Are they going to be building lots of homeless hostels to house all the under 25s and their families? That will prove costly.

[Viviennemary]

I didn't vote Conservative by the way.

[aufaniae]

dreamingofsun it's good you can see that it would be unfair to make homeless those whose have lost their jobs but happen to be under 25.

This government cannot see that. The plan is to take away HB for all under 25s. Based on age, not need.

[pumpkinsweetie]

No whistle, they'll probably expect them to live on the streets

[sookiesookie]

however I protested against both so personally don't feel I supported them.

Protest or not you voted for them. By your op that makes YOU responsible for all those deaths including my step brother. Are you proud? And the banking crisis that got us in the shit? That's your fault.
I voted Tory, not sure if I will again and do disagree with certain aspects.

However, when the Tories came to government they were left a note from a labour mp saying 'ha ha the money is all gone, good luck'

Labour are shit. I certainly won't be voting for them.

[MsBrown]

dreamingofsun

Is a 26 year old equally as wicked if they have baby while relying on HB?

[crypes]

I know loads of people who have done very well out of a Tory government . Many families given the right to buy their council house and made huge profits when selling . many old people i know are safe and secure in lovely three to four bedroom council houses that they haven't bought but kept all their lives.

[EnjoyVampirebloodResponsibly]

Cagney and the third group that laugh at the stupidity of your narrow-minded comment, but can COUNT and realise that you can't keep spending money hand over fist without making individuals accountable.

[Vagaceratops]

I am a Labour voter, my parents were Labour voters. I always vote Labour in our local elections.

But I am torn. I hate how what the Government are doing, but I have no faith in Ed M, and no trust in Ed Balls.

If the Election was tomorrow I would vote, but it would be picking the best of a bad bunch.

[aufaniae]

"This goverment may be sorting out the national debt, but it is us the poor or working class that will suffer."

They're not sorting out the national debt. Borrowing is going up.

The poor and working class are suffering because of ideology, not necessity.

[sookiesookie]

Atleast labour cared for the poor and put us first, debt problems aside.

That's the funniest thing I have heard.

Funny how people think its ok to be offensive to torie voters.

[pumpkinsweetie]

Yes crypes, but that caused an end to affordable rent didn't it hence the reason there isn't a lot of council homes now and people like me & my dh have had to go private.

[pumpkinsweetie]

Yes very funny sookie really funny when we are all homeless next year (pulls sarcastic face)

[InTheNightGarden]

WILL NEVER VOTE FOR THEM!!!! assholes !!!

[InfestationofLannisters]

Quite right, CnL. First they came for the disabled. Then they came for women rather than the men who had fucked off and left them to it. With the introduction of Universal Credit they are now coming after the working person who doesn't earn a fortune. There will be all sorts of bleating about this in months to come from people who previously defended them and bashed those in income support / esa.

I saw it happen on MN with the child benefit changes. Endless threads complaining from people it wouldn't actually affect in terms of buying food and fuel.

[itsatiggerday]

I refuse to get involved in 'debates' as hysterical and ridiculous as this will be given the title.

But OP you do realise that so far Labour has refused to disclaim any of the spending cuts if they're elected next time don't you? When pushed the most they'll do is acknowledge that drastic spending cuts will still be necessary.

If you really want to get hysterical, you might want to ask why we were so heavily in debt after 13 years of labour government. And no, global financial crisis is not a complete answer. There are countries with less resources than we have who are not struggling like we are yet had to deal with the same global issues.

[Narked]

I'd assume that anyone who voted Conservative would blame those who end u living on the streets for their own predicament,

[whistlestopcafe]

I despise the Tories but I really don't think that they want to see people homeless on the streets. I'm thinking that they are hoping that this proposal will encourage more people to remain in the family home and discourage people from starting families at a young age. I really can't see how this is going to work in practice.

[sookiesookie]

Yes very funny sookie really funny when we are all homeless next year (pulls sarcastic face

Your comment doesn't even make sense.

I was laughing the fact the people think labour cared. They really cared when the kept lending to the banks knowing the shit was hitting the fan. And what's their plan? Oh yes borrow more

Labour don't give a shit and it's funny that people think they did.

[theodorakis]

another outraged fan

[pumpkinsweetie]

Problem is people's circumstances change.
I didn't know my dh would be made redundant after we started our large family but next october we will be made to suffer for not having a crystal ball.