St Mungos Unite strike 2021. Photo: Paul Mattsson
St Mungos Unite strike 2021. Photo: Paul Mattsson

St Mungo’s worker

“The number of people falling into homelessness continues to rise… we hope these statistics will galvanise policy action to bring in the Renters Reform Bill and abolish Section 21 evictions; a detrimental clause which currently allows landlords to evict tenants without reason” – Emma Haddad, CEO of St Mungo’s homelessness charity and housing association.

Commonly called ‘no-fault eviction’, a Section 21 notice instructs tenants to leave the property. No reason is required, and very little notice, as little as two months. 92,000 eviction notices like this have been issued since 2019. Over 28,000 were actually evicted – a major cause of homelessness.

What the CEO did not say is that St Mungo’s itself uses Section 21 notices! Unite the Union reps have challenged management about this practice on behalf of staff, but were brushed off.

Management said that they did not wish to discuss matters other than terms and conditions. But that is exactly the response given when the union initially warned that St Mungo’s close cooperation with Home Office forced deportation was unethical, probably unlawful, and would prove damaging to its reputation.

No info

Management do not even know how many Section 21s St Mungo’s has used. St Mungo’s management has created new high-paid ‘transformation management’ posts to drive through a ‘transformation programme.’ The organisation’s leadership seems focused on corporate money-saving goals, to the detriment of its social aims.

Profiting from housing crisis

Housing lawyer Nick Bano says one of his clients faced eviction from her studio flat, which had been without heating for two years, and in which she was not allowed to have her children stay overnight. The landlord was St Mungo’s!

“Even a homeless charity does not see the irony in operating as a real-estate profiteer during a housing crisis.”

Damaging corporatisation

St Mungo’s management repeatedly undermines the hard work of its staff, with a shortsighted focus on narrow financial priorities. Management should stop these evictions, engage with Unite, and halt damaging corporatisation initiatives, such as the transformation programme.