On the 16th of August 2016 we gained lawful entry to the former Ducie Bridge pub via an open rear window and began preparing the building to be lived in, and not for the first time. This is the 5th building in little over 3 months that we as a group, 'Manchester Activist Network' (check us out on the old Facebook) have gained lawful entry to and used to provide a safe, secure and positive environment for between 20 and 25 previous rough sleepers. Over 20 people are recovering after being street homeless, supported by a small number of activists, kind hearted locals and community outreach teams The building that we are now in occupation of was built in 1923 and has served as a community venue hosting the likes of Peter Kay and Jo Brand as well as hundreds of up and coming bands from Alias Kid to Death To Strange as well as being home to a community radio station 'ManchesterRadioOnline’ but is now set to be demolished as part of the NOMA regeneration scheme, the date for such a demolition is yet to be set. NOMA is the name of the regeneration scheme being delivered by the Co-operative Group in partnership with Hermes Real Estate and Manchester City Council, it is a massive £800million pound project on land surrounding the new glass Co-op HQ. So far there's no affordable housing in the `high quality' apartment, hotel, office and retail schemes that have been announced, while £15.4million of public money from Europe and Manchester City Council has been lavished on public squares in readiness for the area's makeover. Squatting is not the solution to the rapidly rising numbers of people finding themselves homeless as we fight our way through the worst housing crisis since World War 2, but until the Co-operative are ready to put their hand in their pockets to effectively solve this crisis, allowing us time is the least that they can do! So, we are calling on David Pringle as the Director of NOMA to give us assurances that after the court case is heard on Monday the 12th of September you will hold off enforcing the possession order, you will hold off sending in a team of bailiffs to throw young, homeless people back onto the street, stalling the incredible progress they have made already, until the bulldozers are set to move in. We understand that NOMA wish to evict us for 'our own health and safety' due to there being asbestos present in the property. The asbestos report that was done in preparation for demolition states that asbestos was found in the basement, an area that is sealed off and that residents do not have access to and also that asbestos was found on the underneath of a kitchen sink, the same bitumen coated asbestos that you will find on any sink, anywhere. The asbestos will only prove hazardous if disturbed and poses no risk to the occupants. "Firstly I would like to say that I am glad that people are making use of the building considering I was evicted from the Ducie Bridge around June/July last year when I operated as the temp manager at the time. Secondly the building does NOT contain asbestos, OCS checked the building out just before I moved in along with GMFRS to ensure that the property had adequate fire safety. The Ducie is far from perfect but It was my home and a very important part of Manchester in my opinion. NOMA are a bunch of backstabbing, time wasting bureaucrats and as such should be treated so, I have no respect for their ethos or approach towards the preservation of culture in Manchester. The Ducie Bridge was home to a lot of people, bands AND an online radio station; not to mention the Manchester Food and Drink Company. NOMA should be ashamed of how they have conducted themselves, If it was up to me I'd let James Stannage at them!!!" - Sam Webster, Thursday, August 25, 2016, Salford Star Online The values, as stated by the Co-operative Group are "self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity". A statement on the Group's website adds: "In the tradition of their founders, co-operative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others..." And we are calling on David Pringle to adhere to these values, please support us by signing this petition and tweeting directly to NOMA at @NOMA_mcr using the hashtag #LetThemStay. You can find more details about the work that we have done and will continue to do on our Facebook page – Manchester Activist Network, or follow us on Twitter @MancActivists #LetThemStay

Because there are too many empty properties and too many homeless people

These refuges save the lives of women and children escaping from abusive, violent and dangerous relationships. They are essential.

Because young people are the next generation and it is likley that they will never be able to pick themselves up without early intervention from local councils and british goverment

Steward Community Woodland is a hugely important project in terms of the global environmental challenges everyone is currently facing. We have created a far more sustainable way of living on this planet and are sharing the knowledge we have gained with the many hundreds of visitors we receive every year. From our beginnings in 2000, we've been living and working on the land we own for the past 16 years. We recently applied for permanent planning permission which was denied and followed by an appeal. This appeal has been turned down and now we are faced with the prospect of eviction. We NEED YOUR HELP to petition the Dartmoor National Park so we can continue living on the land with our children, all of whom have spent most there lives here. Please share this petition as much as you can.

This year me and my two daughters have faced being homeless, due to divorce and the order of the sale of our family home. My Mum died after battling cancer in March and my Dad passed away unexpectedly in his sleep less than 3 months later. We are currently in emergency council accommodation and are part of the bidding process for a property. Each landlord, whether social or private sector have different rules about allowing pets. Some allow pets, some don't. Our cats are not just our pets, they are part of our family. We have three rescue cats, Dave, Twizzell and PomPom, who found their forever home with us. Dave was abandoned in a car park, PomPom was badly treated and Twizzell was thrown into a river. Having our cats teaches the girls, love, caring and sensitivity to other living beings. To have to get rid of them only teaches them that life is dispensable. They have lost their grandparents, their home, to face losing the family pets that they love and care for will cause them more distress and emotional suffering. We have been through enough losses this year, and now face having to choose between a home or our cats. This surely is against our human rights?

Rents in the UK are out of control. Private tenants – those who rent from a landlord or letting agent - have the worst protections against eviction in Europe. Tenants are being forced into poverty, while house prices and a lack of social housing means there’s no alternative. Rent controls are the norm in most of Europe and were used in the UK until the 1980s. Landlords claim that rent controls would drive up prices and cause housing shortages, but this isn't the case in countries like Germany, France and the Netherlands. Moreover, some tenants are evicted because the landlord doesn't want to do the repairs they've asked for, while others worry that a bigoted landlord may evict them because of their beliefs or sexuality. We want the Government to: 1. Bring rents under control: Introduce rent controls that ensure rents are set at affordable levels, and that increases don't force tenants into poverty. Rents should be determined by the quality, size, location and facilities of the home. 2. Protect tenants from eviction: Get rid of the 'no-fault' ground for eviction, so that tenants cannot be evicted unjustly. Ensure that all grounds for eviction are 'discretionary', so that a tenants circumstances are taken into consideration.

Our family have been on the Bromley housing register, since 19/01/15 and we have been given the highest priority (1) for housing, which should mean a short wait. We have a severely disabled two and a half year old son, (Teddy) and have been told that it will be a long wait until we can get a house. While we wait, we are sleeping on the living room floor, as he is too big to carry upstairs and the problem is only getting worse as he gets bigger. The council knows of our situation and has said that they can’t do anything because there are not enough houses for the thousands of people on the list and even less available to those requiring adaptions. They have assessed us as needing a lift, wheelchair access, ramps, a wet room or adapted bath and hoists. In the year and a half we've been on the list, There have only been two suitable adaptable houses made available in Bromley, the last was over a year ago. This was one of the managers response to our MP who wrote to Bromley council on our behalf: "I’m afraid the continuing extreme scarcity of such valuable properties (which is an even bigger problem to us than the mismatch between supply and demand for general needs properties) continues to mean that very vulnerable families are suffering a long delay before being able to move from very difficult circumstances." I don't believe this is acceptable for my family or the many others in the same situation, facing the same insurmountable challenge. We feel really trapped by the whole situation as everyone we have spoken to has refused or been unable to help in any practical way. Please sign this petition to support our family and force Bromley council to open their eyes to this neglect.

More & more family homes are being turned into multiple occupancy housing, squeezing up to 10 small bedsits into one terrace house. Conditions are poor to dangerous for the tenants, extra stress is put on the local community & services. Council resources are drained as some landlords are claiming around £1200 pm per bedsit, meaning that more than double the number of people could be housed decently if the coucil stopped dealing with such landlords. People deserve safe, secure, affordable council housing. The following should help give an example of how this affects both tenants & neighbours. An existing development has already caused problems such as raw sewage backing up into our property, rats, mice, anti-social behaviour, noise, rubbish spilling out into street etc. Tenants I have spoken with live in cramped, damp, unhealthy conditions and are somewhat reluctant to speak out against the landlords. In our direct dealings with the landlord, he has not taken remedial action without council involvement and has been agressive at times. At least 2 further developments are underway within doors of each other, with the developers exploiting loopholes in planning to increase the number of available bedsits. Everyone suffers - except the slum landlord.

Government plans to cap Local Housing Allowance (LHA) which would mean a cut in the housing benefit support for people living in specialist housing. This will affect thousands of the most vulnerable people in the country including older people, people living with a disability, those fleeing domestic violence, young adults leaving care, homeless people and young families. Some tenants will be forced to find £584 extra a month out of their own resources or face homelessness. The cap will decimate the support housing sector, making schemes that provide additional support to those who really need it simply unviable, with the expectation that public services such as the NHS will pick up the pieces. Inevitably rent arrears will accumulate and it is likely that supported housing schemes will be closed and the residents forced into being homeless. An example: I will soon be 81. I live in a 41 household sheltered housing scheme, one of seven located from Hull in the North East to Paignton in Devon, run by a small housing association based in London. I have been told that my housing association may have to close my sheltered scheme if it is not financially viable. That would mean forty-one homeless households, possibly 300 if the other schemes are also closed. The overall effect of the proposals will be dramatic with scores of homeless of all ages roaming the streets and countryside seeking shelter!

After a few days of dragging the bike up and down 6 flights of stairs and struggling through the heavy fire doors young people begin to find cycling is not so much fun The tenants are not allowed to store anything on the landings Bikes / prams / buggies / mobility scooters are not stored. They are parked - ie they are in use and not stored anymore than cars are stored in the parking areas outside One elderly lady struggling with her walking was not allowed to park her mobility scooter inside The landings, unlike the flat hallways, are spacious with lots of nooks to park a bike or mobility scooter or pram without impeding traffic, despite what the housing officers say It is fairly certain that a bike pram or mobiility scooter is less of a fire hazard parked in a cement corridor than in a small hallway But why not build bike shelter for prams and bikes and scooters? This is Bike Week in Glasgow. Please ask GHA 08004797979 and / or the Wheatley Group who are "committed to a Greener Glasgow", how they are supporting Bike Week : Wheatley Group, Wheatley House, 25 Cochrane Street, G1 1HL or phone 0800470707 Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.

It is discrimination, like saying no Irish or no Jews. The very poorest and sometimes the hardest working people are discriminated against when they try to find a rented home. Estate agents will turn them away because tenants on housing benefit are not allowed on most buy to let mortgages. The poorest, often disabled or people working hard on low incomes already too poor to own their own home are denied a basic human right which is to have a home. Estate agents will usually ask for references, and conduct a credit check of any prospective tenant and the tenant will have to find a considerable sum of money upfront so why is this extra caution required. It is prejudice pure and simple.