BOYCOTT SHELTER!

BOYCOTT SHELTER!

8:49 AM, 23rd November 2018, About 5 years ago 20

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That’s what Ken Loach called for 10 years ago, because Shelter’s CEO Adam Sampson wanted employees to do unpaid overtime to win a government contract. What, you thought Shelter was a charity that housed the homeless? That stopped 40 years ago!

“Ever since Ken Loach’s classic Cathy Come Home highlighted the plight of the homeless, the film director and the charity Shelter appeared to be a match made in heaven. Loach’s angry, ground-breaking television play caused a national outcry, led to questions in Parliament and coincided with Shelter’s launch, giving its founders a publicity boost beyond their wildest dreams. Loach has called for donors to boycott Shelter”

He said “I won’t be able to support Shelter and I don’t think others should. Shelter has always been campaigning and critical of government, but it has become corporate and had its teeth drawn.”

“Mr Sampson said the decision – which was necessary to help it compete successfully for government legal services contracts – had not been taken lightly but after a period of negotiation with the trade union which failed to find any “realistic alternatives”.”  Click here

“Ken Loach, the award-winning film director, has urged donors to stop giving money to Shelter until a pay dispute at the charity is resolved.”

“Managers have demanded staff work an extra two and a half hours a week without additional pay – lost income worth an average of £1,700 per person over a year. They say the changes are necessary so Shelter can compete with such major private-sector companies as Capita in providing legal aid contracts.” Click here

Yes, you read that right, Shelter set itself up to compete for government legal services contracts with a private sector company! But tax-free Shelter, funded by donations, could not win the contract against a tax-paying, dividend-paying company without demanding that its employees do unpaid overtime.

Shelter only raised money for housing in the first ten years, according to this article from 1996.

“In 1966, appalled at the human suffering in Britain’s then extensive slums, a number of church housing trusts decided to launch a national campaign and chose a brilliant New Zealander, Des Wilson, to devise it and carry it out.”

“Des Wilson was 25 years old when he wrote a report for the church housing trusts urging that the campaign should aim to convince people that the housing situation “was out of control”, that Shelter would be a “rescue operation” in a national emergency and that the homeless were innocent victims. The campaign thus had resonance; it also had focus. The aim was to raise funds for housing trusts operating in four black spots – Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham and London. It had an evocative name, Shelter. And a few days before its launch it had a great piece of luck: Jeremy Sandford’s powerful documentary-drama about a homeless family, Cathy Come Home, was shown on television. As a result, the opening campaign – in which a charity for the first time used national newspaper advertising, generated editorial coverage by lobbying editors and journalists, and directly mailed bodies likely to be supportive – was an astounding success.”

“Shelter, too, has changed. It no longer needs to raise money for housing trusts. That gap was filled by the Government 20 years ago. It has replaced this activity with the provision of information, advice and advocacy through a national network of 48 housing aid centres.” Click here

So, even by 1976, Shelter had stopped raising money for housing, and had turned itself into a rival to the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB). However, its fund-raising campaigns with their staged pictures of sad people still try to give the impression that they provide shelter. They are still trading on their reputation from over 40 years ago.

Do their donors and the people who leave money to Shelter in their wills realise that their money will just subsidise a mini Citizens’ Advice Bureau, combined with a left-wing lobby group that now has pretensions of becoming a mass movement?

A lobby group which supports disruptions to the private rental sector that will drive landlords out of business and increase homelessness – the very thing Shelter was set up to prevent? An organisation that tries to prevent the eviction of anti-social tenants and those who are in rent arrears?

An organisation whose new leaders contradict its own accumulated knowledge to mislead the public, and incite mobs of supporters to harass law-abiding businesses, and are therefore liars and bullies?

https://www.property118.com/shelters-head-research-misled-public-tv/

https://www.property118.com/shelter-ceo-also-confused-no-fault-evictions/

https://www.property118.com/shelters-campaigns-director-misrepresented-law-agent-harassed/

https://www.property118.com/shelters-new-strategy-document-contains-number-untruths/

https://www.property118.com/will-shelter-sue-birmingham-city-council-letting-agents-landlords/

https://www.property118.com/shelters-harassment-letting-agents-futile/

https://www.property118.com/shelters-campaign-rosie-likely-succeed-got-court/

https://www.property118.com/support-shelters-discrimination-campaign-completely-date/

https://www.property118.com/shelter-single-mothers-bullying-delay-eviction/

https://www.property118.com/shelter-deter-judge-evicting-anti-social-tenants-using-dubious-technicality/

https://www.property118.com/is-shelter-a-charity/#

Yesterday Greg Beales, Shelter’s Minister of Truth, said: “The Landlord’s Alliance is a new group that appears to have been set up to make a number of false claims about Shelter Click here. One must have a heart of stone to read that without laughing, considering the false claims made by Shelter described in the articles listed above.

Under the new management Shelter seems to have lost its moral compass.  We need to make the general public aware of this, and call for another boycott to put Shelter back on track.

BOYCOTT SHELTER!


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Comments

Luke P

15:04 PM, 24th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Arnie Newington at 24/11/2018 - 07:52
That’s because (and as originally highlighted by our very own Chris Daniel under The Alliance’s TalkRadio interview: https://talkradio.co.uk/news/landlords-boycott-stores-over-their-support-homeless-charity-shelter-18112328940 ) Govt. aren’t paying benefit tenants enough to sustain their rent, so then send £18m Shelter’s way to fund the legal advice given to said tenants that assists them to remain in the property, often rent-free for as long as possible before becoming a burden on the state. They will get a lot more than £18m’s-worth of essentially ‘free’ accommodation from the PRS doing it that way as opposed to handing the money out directly to tenants where the spread would be much thinner.

Chris @ Possession Friend

17:22 PM, 24th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Gromit at 23/11/2018 - 11:26
and I heard all the execs were inviting their local homeless round for a sleep-over for the Xmas period, Full turkey dinner, trimmings and all - out of their meagre salaries ! ( - NOT )
What the boycott of misguided yet well-intentioned Companies that fund Shelter propose, is that they actually direct that money to Genuine charities that House and feed homeless !

Chris @ Possession Friend

17:55 PM, 24th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 24/11/2018 - 15:04... Would be interesting if someone handy with figures could come up with a reasoned estimate for How much money the Govt's £18 million into Shelters trousers, are saving them in Housing costs ? let alone costing the PRS in Lost Rent and court Re-Possessions ?

Robert M

22:55 PM, 24th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Larry Sweeney at 24/11/2018 - 09:28Thank you Larry for your generous offer. Here is the post about this project to actually house the homeless (provide shelter and support), and the link to the Just Giving website where people can make a donation (they can do this anonymously if they wish).
The £2.00 Homelessness Challenge
With Shelter currently estimating over 320,000 homeless people in the UK, it is no wonder that we are receiving an increase in the number of people being referred to our supported accommodation, and by a wider range of statutory and voluntary organisations.
Our main limiting factor is lack of funding for our hostel Support Workers, but we operate very efficiently and can provide 2 hours of personal support for just £30.00 per resident per week. The accommodation is funded, it is the support that we need to raise funding for.
This is by far the most cost effective way of helping people out of homelessness, so we have now launched an appeal on the Just Giving website asking people to donate £2.00 towards helping the homeless. Please donate and share the appeal and encourage all your social media friends and contacts to also donate and share. Take a look at our Just Giving page for more details: http://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/homeless-support

Stewart

16:20 PM, 28th November 2018, About 5 years ago

I emailed M&S to complain about their support for Shelter. Here is their reply:-
"Dear Mr Stewart
Thank you for your email to Steve Rowe and the feedback you have provided. Steve is aware of your email and has asked me to respond on his behalf.
M&S have been supporting Shelter’s helpline for thirteen years, donating 5% of each sale from our Food on the Move Festive Collection to help raise £3.4 million for Shelter’s emergency help lines over the course of our partnership.
Our continued donations allow Shelter to answer hundreds of thousands of calls from people faced with homelessness or bad housing seeking advice.
We are very proud that our donations help provide this service.
Kind regards
Simon Hoskins
Executive Team
Your M&S Customer Service"

So there you go. M&S are not interested in our opinion. I will simply vote with my wallet. Goodbye M&S.

Bill

11:35 AM, 29th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Just watched their advert on Sky tv again stating they provide homes for the homeless.Unfortunately as I do not live in the UK, I believe I a have no rights to complain to the ASA.

Chris @ Possession Friend

21:48 PM, 30th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Alfington at 28/11/2018 - 16:20
I've also sent a letter, hopefully, many many more Landlords will too.

Luke P

22:03 PM, 30th November 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Bill Williams at 29/11/2018 - 11:35
Which ad is it?

Bill

4:55 AM, 1st December 2018, About 5 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Luke P at 30/11/2018 - 22:03
Luke. It is the shelter Christmas advert running on Sky tv and other channels I think. No doubt for free.

Appalled Landlord

21:24 PM, 22nd March 2019, About 5 years ago

Apparently, lying to the public was normal in the previous charity that Polly Neate ran.

https://j4mb.org.uk/?s=Polly+Neate

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