Christmas shelters begin preparations
Quaker Homeless Action and other charities begin preparations for christmas
Quaker Homeless Action (QHA) have begun to recruit volunteers for their annual Christmas shelters. A number of charities and campaigning groups, including QSA and QHA, have warned that the economic policies of the coalition government could result in a considerable increase in homelessness. QHA said in August that they had already seen homelessness increase as a result of cuts. Meeting for Sufferings, the national committee of British Quakers, agreed this month to speak out against the coalition’s proposed cap on housing benefit.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies warned last week that poverty is likely to rise in the UK over coming years. They predicted that median income next year would be seven percent lower than in 2009. The news was described as ‘devastating’ by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), a charity that was set up with Quaker support. CPAG’s Alison Garnham said that ministers were ‘in denial’ about the impact of their policies, which are ‘making the poor poorer.’
