Tag Archives: homelessness

DISPAIR London and Depaul UK unite to create limited edition product with a difference.

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Innovative men’s footwear brand DISPAIR London has embarked on an exciting new collaboration
with Depaul UK, the largest national youth homelessness charity in the UK, to offer the opportunity
for one young person to be a guest designer of a limited edition DISPAIR London shoe.

A competition to submit design ideas was opened to the young people helped by Depaul UK with
100% of profits from the winning design going directly to Depaul UK.

With inspiration originating from the laid back streets of Spitalfields, DISPAIR London fully endorses
individualism, and is ideal for those who don’t feel the desire to conform, who are comfortable to lead
their own way in fashion.

Depaul UK helps young people who are homeless, vulnerable and disadvantaged, and has helped
over 50,000 people since it was founded in 1989. While Depaul UK offers an immediate solution to
homelessness, Depaul UK protects young people who have become homeless, helps them to
progress beyond homelessness with training and employment schemes, and works with families to
prevent youth homelessness from happening in the first place.

The design competition proved to be hugely popular with well over the expected number of entrants.
The winner was chosen, a former resident of Depaul UK’s Simonside supported Newcastle
accommodation, with the design being put onto DISPAIR London’s most popular style, the
Winston, a loafer shoe with monk strap detailing.

DISPAIR London has since worked closely with Depaul UK and the competition winner on every
step of the process, offering the young person work experience in the fashion footwear industry and
being fully involved in the design process along the way.

The shoe will be part of DISPAIR London’s AW12 collection, available in navy, grey, off-white and
black. Hitting Topman stores in time for Christmas.

Squatting Becomes Criminal Offence

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Squatting will become a criminal offence in England and Wales on Saturday. Squatting in a residential building would mean squatters could face six months in jail or be fined £5,000, or both.

This would bring better protection for homeowners Ministers said, and “slam shut the door on squatters once and for all”.

At the moment squatting is considered a civil matter and homeowners have to go to civil court and prove that squatters trespassed before they can be evicted. After the 1st of September squatting will become a criminal matter and homeowners can complain to the police. If the police think the claim is genuine they can arrest the squatters.

The new law will also protect vacant residential properties.

The law will also apply to existing squatters to “stop trespassers rushing to occupy residential buildings before the offence comes into force”.

The housing minister Grant Shapps said: “For too long, hardworking people have faced long legal battles to get their homes back from squatters, and repair bills reaching into the thousands when they finally leave.

“No longer will there be so-called squatters’ rights. Instead, from next week, we’re tipping the scales of justice back in favour of the homeowner and making the law crystal clear: entering a property with the intention of squatting will be a criminal offence.”

Campaigners have criticised the new law saying it does not fix the fact that squatters have nowhere to go but Justice minister Crispin Blunt said homelessness was at the lowest level for 28 years and the government was spending £400m on homelessness and £164m on bringing about 10,000 empty homes back into use.

In Scotland squatting is already illegal. Homeowners in Scotland have right to eject squatters without serving notice or applying to a court for an eviction order.

Shadow justice minister Andy Slaughter said: “Homeowners around the country are concerned about squatters and rightly want assurances from this Tory-led government that their properties will be protected.

“The distress squatters can cause to families, as well as the financial damage they do, is completely unacceptable.”

Sir Ian McKellen to guide adventurers on journey to Tolkien’s homeland

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Sir Ian McKellen to guide adventurers on journey to Tolkien’s homeland

Registration has opened for Crisis Mission: A Journey to the Midlands (and back again) – a high-tech quest from London to Tolkien’s homeland in the Midlands. The event is in aid of Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people.

One does not simply walk into Birmingham, so Sir Ian McKellen has signed up to guide intrepid teams along the way, peppering the route with a series of fiendish video questions, tough challenges and cryptic clues to unravel.

Teams will use interactive tablet PCs with GPS technology to provide location-based clues and live results. They will then be challenged to locate the GPS ‘hotspots’ on the way to the Midlands and crack the clues and complete challenges to earn as many points as possible.

The quest takes place on Saturday 12 May and sets off from London and Birmingham. Teams of up to six people can sign up at www.crisis.org.uk/mission.

Ian McKellen said: “It is a scandal that homelessness still exists in 21st century Britain, so I’m happy to support Crisis by guiding our adventurers on their journey. Best of luck to those intrepid teams as they explore Tolkien’s world.”

Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: “It is incredibly exciting to have Sir Ian McKellan on board for Crisis Mission: A Journey to the Midlands. All the proceeds will go towards our work to end homelessness across the country.”

This is the third Crisis: Mission event. In 2010 teams raced from Thames to Tyne, and in 2011 Anneka Rice and Jeremy Paxman led contestants on a high-tech treasure hunt in Crisis Mission: Oxford.

Birmingham was chosen as the destination for the event as Crisis runs an outreach education and training programme for homeless and vulnerably housed people across the city.