When: Sat 29th February, 1-4pm

Where: Cross Street Chapel, Cross St, Manchester M2 1NL

Registration essential! Sign up here. Childcare available if booked in advance.         Facebook event link – please share widely!

The dust has settled after the General Election and we face five more years of a brutal Conservative government. The housing crisis is only likely to intensify in Greater Manchester. Austerity has been imposed on our councils, leading to unprecedented budget cuts. It has left those in housing need struggling to find adequate housing. We will continue to see ongoing homelessness, greedy landlords treating tenants as disposable, families living in atrocious temporary accommodation and a bare minimum of state investment in new housing. We have little hope that this Tory government will change direction.

Unfortunately, the housing crisis is also a product of decisions made at a local level; criminalising homeless people, allowing developers to profit from the city of Manchester without making adequate contributions, failing to place the climate crisis at the centre of planning new housing. This cannot continue. The people of Greater Manchester deserve more. It is organisations, social movements and campaigns such as ACORN, Tenants Union and the GM Law Centre that can make the difference locally. Whether pushing politicians into better decisions, generating new ideas or helping build solidarity and mutual aid, we cannot rely on either national or local government to address the housing crisis. Instead we all rely on local residents of all ages and backgrounds being willing to get involved in the movement.

Let’s come together, get informed and decide the next steps.

Programme:

1.00 -1.30pm Setting the scene

1.30- 3.30pm Workshops (choose two of six)

3.30-4.00pm Next steps and networking

2020 Housing Vision aims to bring people into grassroots campaigns and organising around six themes:

• Big Capital – How do we stop our homes being turned into assets?
• Tenants’ Rights – How do we organise ourselves against landlords?
• Organising in our neighbourhoods – How can we shape our neighbourhoods together?
• Homelessness – What can we do to end the ongoing crisis of homelessness?
• Climate/Sustainability – How do we make our housing fit for the future?
• Airbnb – What might a campaign against Airbnb look like in Manchester?

Come along, learn about the issues, meet some inspiring campaigners and find out how you can get involved! Sign up here.