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21 YEARS OF ECUMENICAL ACTION ON HOMELESSNESS IN LONDON

4 November 2002

On Thursday 31st October, over 100 people filled the Moses Room in the House of Lords to mark the 21st Anniversary and Re-launch of UNLEASH (Church Action on Homelessness in London).

The meeting, hosted by the Rt Revd Tom Butler, Bishop of Southwark, was addressed by Glenda Jackson MP, the Mayor of London's Adviser on Homelessness, the Rt. Hon. Nick Raynsford MP, Minister for Local Government and the Regions, Louise Casey, Director of the government's Homelessness Directorate, and Robina Rafferty, Director of CHAS (Catholic Housing Aid Society).

The occasion was also marked by the publication of a 104-page history of UNLEASH, the joy of the journey, written by Pat Logan, who was one of the founders of UNLEASH and has been its co-ordinator throughout its history. One quote leapt out of the book, observed Glenda Jackson. It was the words of a Catholic missionary priest who had just returned to London after several years abroad: "When I left London to work overseas, homelessness was a cause. When I came back, I found it was a business."

Nick Raynsford and Louise Casey commented on other dramatic changes in the homelessness scene since the days when UNLEASH first took shape. They stressed the important, continuing need for a body like UNLEASH particularly in complementing resettlement work. Glenda Jackson lamented that fact that after all these years, we still do not have an effective pan-London strategy. The Bishop of Southwark noted that one of the strengths of UNLEASH was that it was a London-wide network which brings together, as on this occasion, people from the four corners of London, from Hillingdon to Bromley, and from Richmond to Redbridge.

Robina Rafferty welcomed the fact that UNLEASH is hoping to move in with CHAS in the new year. Though UNLEASH would retain its separate identity, the move would be of great benefit to both organisations. The Revd. Dr. Janet Wootton, Minister of Union Chapel, Islington, and out-going Chair of UNLEASH, called attention to the final chapters of the book, which record the review recently undertaken by UNLEASH members and trustees and which spell out UNLEASH's priorities for the future.

Robina Rafferty paid a warm tribute to Pat Logan, who will be retiring at the end of the year and to whom a presentation was made at the event.

UNLEASH arose out of conference in September 1981 addressed by the late Gladys Dimson, Chair of the GLC's Housing Committee, focussing on the need for new models of provision following the planned closure of the former vast common lodging houses where over 5,000 homeless single people were being given shelter.

Over the years, UNLEASH has consistently sought to encourage the churches to work in partnership with other voluntary and statutory bodies, has encouraged the development of good standards, has, in its meeting with government ministers and in its public statements, pressed for changes in policy on homelessness and housing. The story is fascinating.

One of the episodes recounted in the book is the outspoken public rejection by the then Chair of UNLEASH, the Revd. Michael Fielding, of the abortive initiative on the then Housing Minster Michael Spicer, in June 1990, to launch the rough sleepers initiative with a paltry £15 million. Mr Fielding's refusal to let the churches be seen as cheap options won him plaudits from SHELTER and the Chartered Institute of Housing but provoked a vicious attacked from the Daily Express: " Presumably Mr. Fielding thinks Christ was just trying to help Caesar's housing policy in Judea".

Other chapters include the story of UNLEASH's efforts at multi-faith work in 1990-91 and its work with the London Churches Group and Christian Aid in bringing over in 1995 two workers in urban and rural homelessness movements in Sao Paulo, Brazil to help with a "theological audit" of the way the churches in London were responding to the problem of homelessness.

Copies of the book, the joy of the journey: 21 years of ecumenical action on homelessness in London are available from UNLEASH (price £8.00 including p&p)

ENDS

UNLEASH - Trinity House, 4 Chapel Court, Borough High Street, London SE1 1HW tel: 020-7939 9419; fax: 020-7939 9467