Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
Oxford City Council’s latest threats to fine rough sleepers in the city centre have been sharply criticised by the city’s Green councillors. Community Protection Notices were served last Wednesday to people in the city centre with “no fixed abode” requiring the removal of “obstruction on any pavement […] that may constitute a hazard”. The notices […]
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Many food bank users are falling deeper into financial and food insecurity, according to a report released last week. The study, commissioned by the Trussell Trust – a poverty charity with a 400-strong food bank network – highlights income insecurity and the prevalence of food insecurity and material deprivation in the population of food bank […]
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Nationwide, rough sleeping in England has increased by 134% between 2010 and 2015. Oxford has historically had high levels of homelessness with around 55 people counted as rough sleeping in the city at the last official count. Oxford’s homelessness problem partly stems from housing issues: it is the most unaffordable place to live in the […]
Continue ReadingA few hours ago, a church in East Oxford offered temporary accommodation to the 21 residents of the Osney Open House. The squatters were asked to leave the premises of the Old Power Station in Osney by 4pm today, after an interim possession order was granted to Oxford University by a local court last week […]
Continue ReadingOn Monday 27th February On Your Doorstep, the OUSU homelessness campaign held a protest in Radcliffe Square to campaign for more space to be given to the homeless by Oxford University. Fifteen people attended the event and they were able to get a photo holding the banner which they hope will help raise awareness of […]
Continue Reading98.5% of students surveyed believe there is a homelessness problem in Oxford In an investigation carried out by the Oxford Student, 98.5% of participants stated that they think there is a homelessness problem in the city. Only one respondent answered in the negative, whilst four said they did not know. The survey also asked in […]
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A possession order for the Iffley Open House site was granted to current leaseholder The Midcounties Co-operative this morning, after a court hearing. Following discussions between the residents and Mid-Counties Co-operative, it would allow those living in the Wadham-owned property to remain throughout the coldest months of the year. In a statement released this afternoon, however, Wadham reiterated […]
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Iffley Open House residents are said to be “relieved” by news that the group may be able to stay in the Wadham owned building until the end of April. This follows a statement from leaseholder The Midcounties Co-operative last week, in which it described its confidence in reaching an “amicable arrangement”. Kevin Brown, Group General […]
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Students, residents and local homeless people gathered this morning to hang a banner reading “People need homes, empty spaces need people” on the old VW garage on Iffley Road. The move accompanies a new petition urging the building’s owners, Wadham College, to assist the city’s homeless. Wadham responded, stating that it is “investigating the ramifications […]
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The number of state-funded beds for homeless people in Oxfordshire is to be reduced from 285 to 154 as part of £1.5 million of cuts expected over the next three years. In February, Oxfordshire County Council announced it would be reducing its support for homeless services (‘Housing Related Support’) following cuts to its funding from […]
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How is it that the homeless go hungry whilst, away from the streets, satisfied students leave plates of food that never get eaten? In this article I will attempt to answer this question, which has angered me since my arrival in this city so dominated by class divides. My own college’s ‘hall’ can be seen […]
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The Lib Dems lost almost £150,000 following the recent election. That’s a shocking figure any day but in light of the budgetary cuts which have already been announced and the even deeper cuts which have been forecast, that sort of money is going to be increasingly crucial to all sorts of organisations and charities who […]
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Oxford police made 96 arrests for begging over 2013 and 2014, according to new Freedom of Information figures obtained by The Oxford Student.
Continue ReadingThis week, OUSU publishes the result of its survey on student attitudes towards homelessness, which was completed by over 1,100 Oxford students. Ninety-four per cent of respondents recognised that homelessness was a big problem in Oxford. Oxford has the second highest level of homelessness per capita in the country. However, many students indicated they were […]
Continue ReadingThe decision to cut homeless support has been passed despite widespread public opposition and fears that it means “more deaths on the streets”. On the day the county cabinet sat to vote on the budget, a crowd of up to 250 students, service workers and members of the public gathered outside Oxford City Council to […]
Continue ReadingThe contrast between the university’s gilded youth and the homeless population of Oxford is perhaps at its most galling when clothes are involved. The romance of scholars in sub-fusc and well-heeled girls in ball gowns sits uncomfortably with the city’s ranking as the fourth worst place in the country for homelessness. Presented by Sarah Fan […]
Continue ReadingTraveling can truly open your eyes to the extraordinary, and often overlooked differences between supposedly similar regions. Take for example, the different drinking cultures to be found in my homeland of England, and my current home of Germany. Here in Deutschland, the cheapest beers will set you a back a mere sixty cents, and, conforming […]
Continue ReadingVagrant tries to raise some important issues concerning the streets of Oxford – the collision of poverty and privilege. However, it fails to hit the mark that it aims at in trying to raise these issues, as the play descends into a rather unrealistic melodrama. Some very good performances do shine through shine through but […]
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