Stop targeting Oxford's rough sleepers

The Issue

Being homeless in Oxford is incredibly difficult. But now the City Council is targeting rough sleepers with community protection notices by removing their belongings and threatening them with fines of up to £2,500. 

Rough sleepers who keep their bags in doorways are being told that they are having a "detrimental of a persistent or continuing nature on the quality of life of those in the locality" and that their "conduct is unreasonable."

We at On Your Doorstep (OUSU's official homelessness campaign) f0eel that this move is an effort to target rough sleepers and that the council is failing to acknowledge the difficulties faced by rough sleepers. It ignores the wider issue of Oxford's housing crisis and the lack of adequate provision from homelessness services.

Oxford's budget for homelessness services was recently slashed by 65% by the county council, resulting in the decision to close two homelessness projects and cutting the number of beds from 286 to 141. There just aren't enough spaces anymore.

Community Protection Notices are usually issued for "anti-social" behaviours such as graffiti and dog fouling. By issuing them to rough sleepers, the city council is classing rough sleeping as an anti-social "choice", when in fact it is those with no remaining options who end up on the streets.

In 2015, the city council tried to include a clause in their Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) that would effectively illegalise rough sleeping. We stopped them from doing this, but now they're finding other ways to target rough sleepers. We would like the council to issue an official statement confirming that they will no longer use anti-social behaviour legislation to target rough sleepers.

The homeless are often ignored or treated as an "eyesore", especially in a rich city such as Oxford. Criminalising them just makes their lives harder, and they eventually are issued fines they cannot afford to pay, which will merely increase the behaviour of "aggressive begging" which the council seeks to end.

2017 has seen increased awareness of homelessness in Oxford. The Iffley Open House project saw residents and students come together to provide a solution to homelessness. We've seen what public support can do - so let's stop this happening now, and show that being homeless isn't a crime. 

 If anyone would like to contact us, email us at
onyourdoorstep@ousu.ox.ac.uk

 

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On Your Doorstep OxfordPetition Starter
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This petition had 22,303 supporters

The Issue

Being homeless in Oxford is incredibly difficult. But now the City Council is targeting rough sleepers with community protection notices by removing their belongings and threatening them with fines of up to £2,500. 

Rough sleepers who keep their bags in doorways are being told that they are having a "detrimental of a persistent or continuing nature on the quality of life of those in the locality" and that their "conduct is unreasonable."

We at On Your Doorstep (OUSU's official homelessness campaign) f0eel that this move is an effort to target rough sleepers and that the council is failing to acknowledge the difficulties faced by rough sleepers. It ignores the wider issue of Oxford's housing crisis and the lack of adequate provision from homelessness services.

Oxford's budget for homelessness services was recently slashed by 65% by the county council, resulting in the decision to close two homelessness projects and cutting the number of beds from 286 to 141. There just aren't enough spaces anymore.

Community Protection Notices are usually issued for "anti-social" behaviours such as graffiti and dog fouling. By issuing them to rough sleepers, the city council is classing rough sleeping as an anti-social "choice", when in fact it is those with no remaining options who end up on the streets.

In 2015, the city council tried to include a clause in their Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) that would effectively illegalise rough sleeping. We stopped them from doing this, but now they're finding other ways to target rough sleepers. We would like the council to issue an official statement confirming that they will no longer use anti-social behaviour legislation to target rough sleepers.

The homeless are often ignored or treated as an "eyesore", especially in a rich city such as Oxford. Criminalising them just makes their lives harder, and they eventually are issued fines they cannot afford to pay, which will merely increase the behaviour of "aggressive begging" which the council seeks to end.

2017 has seen increased awareness of homelessness in Oxford. The Iffley Open House project saw residents and students come together to provide a solution to homelessness. We've seen what public support can do - so let's stop this happening now, and show that being homeless isn't a crime. 

 If anyone would like to contact us, email us at
onyourdoorstep@ousu.ox.ac.uk

 

avatar of the starter
On Your Doorstep OxfordPetition Starter
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The Decision Makers

Oxford City Council
Oxford City Council
Responded
“This is a fire safety issue. Bags had been left outside a city centre shop for more than a year. We asked the owners of the bags on numerous occasions not to obstruct the fire escape. Work recently began on the refurbishment of the shop and the City Council was asked by the building company to assist in the removal of the bags because they were blocking fire exit routes, therefore posing a risk to those working inside. Council officers issued Community Protection Notices on the unattended items and gave the owners of the bags two days to remove them. Community Protection Notices required the owners to remove the items and allow the City Council to remove any abandoned obstructions. It is our legal duty to inform anyone in receipt of a notice of all possible sanctions, whether they are to be used or not, including a possible court imposed fine of up to £2,500. After two days the owners removed all their belongings. What was left was a soiled duvet and pieces of cardboard, which we disposed of. No one was fined, and the fire escape is no longer blocked. Each year we spend £1.4m on homeless services, including day services providing food, laundry and shower facilities, outreach and resettlement services, mental health support, and a broad range of accommodation including provision for young people, people with complex needs, those who are working and emergency provision in winter. We also fund a range of services that provide support, including the Big Issue and education, training and employment services, as well as prevention for people at risk of homelessness who are fleeing violence, tenancy sustainment support, and welfare reform assistance. Last year we helped win £790,000 of government funding to support vulnerable single homeless adults in Oxfordshire, we have contributed £15m to purchasing properties to house homeless Oxford families, and we have retained our 7,800 council houses to provide affordable rents. We take this national homelessness tragedy that is playing out on the streets of our city very seriously; we are very aware of the circumstances of the people on the streets of Oxford, the risks they face and their support needs, and work very hard with our partners so that no one should have to be homeless. On this occasion we had to balance the desire for people to leave their possessions in a fire escape with the risk this posed to the people working in the building.”

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Petition created on 27 July 2017