March 12, 2024
Code Red: Joint Housing Action with GPs and Headteachers
Housing is in a state of crisis, and Lewisham citizens are saying enough is enough! Along with mayoral candidate Mike Herron, our mayor-to-be Brenda Dacres attended and publicly committed to our asks - keep reading to see what our big action accomplished!
In a parallel action with headteachers and GP’s, LRMN joined Citizens UK to stand witness on how damp, mould and disrepair are having a long-term effect on families and individuals.
Before our march to Laurence House, we heard testimonies from GPs, headteachers and children in a public assembly that highlighted how prevalent the issue of poor housing is.
“Children who grow up in unstable or inadequate housing are more likely to face economic hardship, homelessness, and poor health outcomes later in life” – Open letter from Lewisham Headteachers
“Constant environmental exposures in their homes lead(…) to potentially life threatening emergencies and recurrent consultations and A&E attendances” – Open letter by Lewisham GP’s
“It’s especially hard if you have children. They have to do homework in turns! The kids are fighting for the phone. There’s nothing you can do.”– Femi who lives in temporary accommodation
We had three clear asks from our mayor-to-be Brenda Dacres and mayoral candidate Mike Herron:
✅a declaration that housing is in an emergency state in Lewisham
✅a commitment to meet with us within 30 days of their election as mayor
✅a pledge to work on providing Wifi in temporary accommodation
And we got a public commitment to all of them!
This is a big win for our ongoing campaign to ensure free internet access to all in temporary accommodation (read more about this here).
Find full quotes and more details about our action in our full press release (issued prior to Brenda Dacres’ election as mayor) and in media coverage.
Want to help spread awareness?
Repost our tweet about the action!