Wakefield Council rejects plans for a ‘homeless hostel’, citing antisocial behaviour and crime fears 

Wakefield Council has rejected plans for a homeless hostel, stating that the proposed plan would raise concerns of antisocial behaviour and crime in the area.

Terry Smith, who first submitted plans for the accommodation in April, had his 17-bed overnight hostel denied on the 29th of September.

Smith, a businessman, had proposed to build the hostel on Bank Street in the city centre.

The hostel would have been repurposed in the former Fanny and Bacardi nightclub, and Smith had planned to open the hostel from 8 pm to 8 am using a referral system for those living in Wakefield who were sleeping rough.

The proposal quickly divided opinion back in April, with 113 objections and 134 supporters.

On Wednesday, the 29th, the plans were rejected. The letter of refusal claimed that, due to fears of antisocial behaviour and crime, “the proposal is inappropriate for its location”. 

Alongside this, strategic housing officers based their opposition to the plans on the grounds that latest figures show there were just four rough sleepers in Wakefield in autumn 2020.

However, Smith has disputed this and other figures suggest different statistics. For instance, the Wakefield Express has previously stated that homelessness and rough sleeping have increased drastically since 2018. Founder of Wakefield Street Kitchen Anna Natasha Howard said that they have seen an increase in people at risk of homelessness at the kitchen.

Furthermore, a 2020 investigation by the BBC estimated rough sleeping figures could be five times the official statistics due to “misleading” measurement of numbers. 

Smith is planning to appeal the decision, arguing that the council is missing a “glaring need” and that “without a doubt this was an opportunity to address the homeless problem in Wakefield”, which has now been ignored by the Council.

Smith also responded to the claim that the hostel would threaten the area with antisocial behaviour and crime, pointing out that it should do the exact opposite.

There is not much conclusive research on whether homeless shelters generate more or less crime in the area. For instance, a study looking at the effect of emergency winter homeless shelters on property crime in Vancouver found an increase in property crime in areas where a homeless shelter had opened. However, a Guardian study of two U.S. cities found no link between homeless villages and crime rates, and even found that crime was more likely to go down. 

What there is research on, however, is homeless people as victims of crime: with statistics showing that homeless people are 16 times more likely to have been victims of violence and 15 times more likely to have suffered verbal abuse, compared to those who are not rough sleepers. 

Responding to the claim that the hostel was not suited to the location, Smith has pointed out that the Community Awareness Programme (CAP), which helps disadvantaged people in the area, is right around the corner from the former nightclub.

Ultimately, this rejected proposal comes at a time when homelessness and rough sleeping is rising on the political agenda for multiple reasons, including an end to the emergency accommodation being provided during the pandemic and the upcoming spending review.

During the pandemic, housing was provided to over 37,000 people in emergency accommodation. But now organisations and charities, including Crisis and Housing First, have warned that lack of government planning and inadequate funding mean that councils are being forced to close this emergency accommodation, and those provided with housing will be forced back onto the street.

Additionally, this is also topical with the upcoming spending review later this month. The Conservatives had previously pledged to “fully enforce the Homelessness Reduction Act and end rough sleeping by the end of the next Parliament.” Organisations such as Inside Housing have argued that this Autumn’s Spending Review will provide the government with the opportunity to show commitment to the cause, having already faced criticism over their cut to Universal Credit which opposition MPs and charities alike have argued will force more people into homelessness.

Image credit: West Yorkshire Combined Authority Council