1. Revisiting the 1977 Housing (Homeless Persons) Act: Westminster, Whitehall, and the Homelessness Lobby.
- Author
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Crowson, Nicholas J.
- Subjects
- *
FEDERAL aid to services for the homeless , *HOUSING for homeless people , *LEGAL status of homeless people , *SERVICES for homeless people , *NONGOVERNMENTAL organizations , *POLITICAL action committees , *POLITICAL participation , *HISTORY ,BRITISH politics & government, 1964-1979 - Abstract
The 1977 Housing (Homeless Persons) Act provided the first statutory definition of homelessness. This article examines who should be credited with inspiring the legislation. This article shows that the homelessness lobby, co-ordinating their activities through the Joint Charities Group and Campaign for the Homeless and Roofless, interposed themselves between Whitehall and Parliament and the public, mediating a message about the changing nature of ‘hidden’ homelessness and its growing scale. At the same time elements of the civil service, particularly within the Department of Environment, sought to harness this lobby in order to help promote its agenda for improving the utilization of, and uniformity of access to, the housing stock within Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
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