http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/the-northerner/2013/jul/10/closure-threat-returns-for-onlyemergency-homeless-night-shelter-in-manchester-or-salf
Closure threat returns for only emergency homeless night shelter in Manchester or Salford Thanks to a benefactor, Narrowgate night shelter can stay open until September but after that the 28 men and women who regularly use it are in a precarious position
Narrowgate night shelter. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian Joe Sandler Clarke The only emergency night shelter for homeless people in Salford and Manchester continues to face an uncertain future, as Salford council maintains that it cannot receive housing benefit because of a change in the law. Narrowgate night shelter in Pendleton was left with a funding crisis after being informed that it could no longer accept housing benefit, its main source of income, because of a legal ruling in Anglesey. It was initially forced to close but reopened its doors on a part-time basis thanks to a donation from a wealthy benefactor. The funds from the donor mean Narrowgate can only stay open for three nights a week until early September at the latest – leaving the 28 men and women who regularly use the shelter in a precarious position. Other councils including Blackpool decided to keep their shelters open when faced with a similar situation to Salford, a fact noted by Dave
Smith, director of the Boaz Trust, a charity which supports destitute asylum seekers, who believes Salford council lacks compassion. He said: The obvious thing is that everyone in that night shelter needs somewhere to stay. Nobody would stay in a night shelter if that had an alternative to it that was workable. So in one fell swoop there were 28 people out on the streets, all because of a ruling that is at best arbitrary. Some authorities have not withdrawn housing benefit from night shelters as obviously that would put people out on the streets, but Salford have decided to do it anyway. They say they have a right to as a result of that judgment, but it’s not at all compassionate or the right thing to do. Confusion has reigned since the Anglesey ruling was passed, with 11 councils withdrawing funding from night shelters, while others have looked to keep them open. The charity Homeless Link has suggested that government statements on the issue show that councils who withdrew funding from shelters may have “acted unnecessarily”. For their part the government insists there has been “no sudden change in the law” as a result of the Anglesey ruling, and that “housing benefit can continue to be paid to users of the majority of shelters so long as the person’s circumstances meet the housing benefit rules”. But having seen the government’s guidance, Salford council does not think anything has changed, and says its initial interpretation of the original judgment stands. Councillor Peter Connor, assistant mayor for adult services, said: The Narrowgate shelter, because of numerous factors such as the lack of certainty or right to stay there, is not a dwelling being occupied as a home and therefore housing benefit cannot be paid. The council continues to work with Narrowgate offering advice and assistance on a way forward. We understand that the shelter could qualify for housing benefit if it offered the service in a different way to the way in which the Anglesey shelter functioned and demonstrates the legitimate use of housing benefit. Phil Brown, who runs Narrowgate, acknowledges that the council does have a point, but is still frustrated by the affair. He explains that the Anglesey ruling changed what it meant to be a “dwelling”, and that only shelters that could be classed as such could receive housing benefit.
As Narrowgate doesn’t let people stay at the shelter indefinitely, partly because of the sheer demand for housing in Salford and Manchester, it does not meet these qualifications. “The rules of paying housing benefit haven’t changed. What Salford have done is they’ve looked at any shelters in their area to see if they’re like Anglesey to see if they still qualify for housing benefit,” said Mr Brown. “Not being able to be here for the full seven nights gives people a little more uncertainty for their safety for the rest of the week.” The Boaz Trust had previously referred many of its service users to Narrowgate, but with the shelter now only part-time, and due to the closure of the trust’s own winter night shelter in April, Dave Smith says many people have been forced on to the streets.