CASH St. Andrews - Campaign for Affordable Student Housing

We are upstairs at Brewco :)))

Reminder about our meeting today at 5pm in Sandy’s !! Any and all welcome, do come along if you are interested in activism, housing solutions, or just want a chat 🫶

We’ll be making concrete plans on how to tackle our goals this semester that you may have spotted on our freshers Fayre flyers !!!
✊🏡🪧

Say hello to the CASH coordinators for this year!

Instead of having a single head this year the campaign has three coordinators focused on Action, Research, and Communication. We are all thrilled to be with CASH this year, and we can’t wait to get the ball rolling. Please feel free to reach out to any of us with any questions, comments, or concerns you might have!

The academic year is beginning again and there is still a housing crisis in St. Andrews. Students are still waiting on hearing back about their accommodation for this academic year. Students still do not feel like the University has fulfilled its responsibility to provide accommodation to students in St. Andrews. Fill out the new form in our bio to let us know if you are still waiting on accommodation!

After a last minute push, we collected hundreds of responses to Fife Council's HMO Survey. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey! We will continue building momentum against the HMO ban in anticipation of Fife Council's decision in April.

We need the ban removed to ensure homes in St. Andrews are affordable, accessible and safe for all tenants.

Students call for end to HMO freeze in St Andrews as council reviews rules Students are campaigning for an end to the freeze on HMOs in St Andrews as part of a council policy review. Fife Council put a freeze on houses in

There’s only a few hours left to respond to the HMO survey! Do it NOW by following the link in our bio - it only takes one minute but will have a massive impact on affordability in St. Andrews. Access the survey here: https://www.fife.gov.uk/consultations/consultation-diaries/houses-in-multiple-occupation-hmo-overprovision-policy-consultation-st-andrews

Read this prepared document which explains why the HMO ban needs to be removed and offers guidance for answering questions in depth (the best way we can convince the Council of the negative impacts of the ban): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zPrW2iNZUfm6DaS0abIW3CRvi7eicMHD/view?usp=share_link

Help get the HMO ban removed! It works against the housing pressures of St. Andrews and places tenants safety at risk.

Fill in the survey here: https://www.fife.gov.uk/consultations/consultation-diaries/houses-in-multiple-occupation-hmo-overprovision-policy-consultation-st-andrews

Read our prepared document to learn more about HMOs and find out the reasons we think the HMO ban needs to be removed: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zPrW2iNZUfm6DaS0abIW3CRvi7eicMHD/view?usp=sharing

Any questions about HMOs? Just ask.

CASH

CASH Elections are still running, and we’re in need of applications for the following roles.

Dundee Officer
Postgraduate Officer

If you are a student living in Dundee, or a Postgraduate student and want to take part in our campaign to help make St. Andrews affordable for all students, staff and locals and ensure our community receives the support it deserves during this cost-of-living crisis then please apply via the link below!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSff768QjyV9nX2iHV-jG8sVsj7A9w3oS0BkD6LXGIHCc6pLcQ/viewform

CASH and St Andrews Socialist Society proudly present Food4Students - a local food larder run by students, for students - providing support and essential items for anyone in need.

We know that the cost of living crisis has hit students hard - and while we don’t offer all the resources that a food bank does - we want to bridge the gap between St Andrews students and current access to food resources. You don’t need a referral to access the food larder - anyone is welcome, for whatever level of need you have.

Our next food collection event is Saturday, December 3rd from 3-5 PM.

Whether some study snacks would help you get through exam season, or food for the week will allow you to turn your heating on, you’re all welcome to the student food larder. We have a large assortment of non-perishable goods, including biscuits, sweets, pasta, ramen, washing up liquid, toilet roll, and much more!

To sign up for our next collection event on Saturday, December 3 from 3-5 PM, please follow the link below:

https://forms.gle/g4WU95iTEt6qk11n7

Once signed up, you’ll receive details about how to collect on Saturday, including the location, as well as accessibility and anonymity options.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the campaign via the CASH Instagram or Facebook, with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Support the strikes!

Use the draft email at the bottom of this post and send it to the Principal and your Head of School to force them to put pressure on national negotiations over staff demands! UCU: St Andrews Branch

Join the picket lines!

https://www.ucustandrews.org/s/UCUStA_StudentsTemplate.docx

Introducing the CASH campaign members for 22/23. We are here to fight for affordable housing for everyone in town, and we can do with your help.

We hold public meetings once a month, where anyone is welcome to join. Anyone can join CASH as an ordinary member and can have a say in the direction of our campaign by contacting our page.

We are looking for a new Dundee Officer and Postgraduate Rep so if you want a more formal role, please get in touch! We’ll release the elections soon.

Get in touch with individual members for particular issues, or contact us whenever you need us either on social media or by email at [email protected].

CASH 💛

A reminder that we have a public meeting tomorrow (Saturday 12th) from 3-5PM. We want to ensure our campaign is as inclusive as possible, and to do that we want all perspectives on the housing crisis to be heard.

Join us in person tomorrow by registering via this link: https://forms.gle/tFrUWbgjZj4vvhdQ6 to hear about what we're up to and share your own experience of the housing crisis - including any criticisms, feedback or support you may be able to provide us with.

Thank you to everyone who donated to our food bank drive today, and massive thanks to all the members of St Andrews Socialist Society and St Andrews Student Solidarity Network for their help in collecting items for the drive.

The solidarity and support of groups in St. Andrews during this cost-of-living crisis is essential to increase awareness of particular issues and encourage mutual aid and action.

If you belong to a society or campaign and would like to collaborate with CASH, please get in touch with us! As one of the most engaged campaigns on campus, we want to help other groups increase awareness of their own fights.

And join the newly formed Solidarity Network so we can fight together on local issues!

Solidarity!

Outside tesco! Come support CASH St. Andrews - Campaign for Affordable Student Housing 's foodbank for students!!!

We’ll be outside Tesco today with St Andrews Socialist Society and the St Andrews Student Solidarity Network collecting essential items to establish a one-off student food bank to help our friends who are struggling with the current cost-of-living crisis. If you would like to access the food bank, and you need some help with day-to-day expenses, then please feel free to register interest here: https://forms.gle/gJH6M3yZudyuBp9z8. Please do not feel ashamed to access our service, and we ask for no proof of specific need. If you are a student and want help with groceries and essential items, we’re here to support you.

Also, if you know anyone else who is struggling, encourage them to get in touch. All students are reminded that they can always access Storehouse food bank with a referral form whenever they need it. We will resume regular collections for Storehouse later this month.

OUR PROTEST IS TOMORROW! Come along to show solidarity with our community ✊. Tell your friends!

Demand action on the energy crisis!

Join us on Saturday, October 29th from 1-2PM to listen to key speakers make the case for a more equal, caring society - a society where people are not forced to choose between heating and eating.

STUDENT PROTEST! Fight The Cost Of Living Crisis!

The cost of the most affordable bedrooms in halls of residence has increased by 154% since 2006. This is far out of line with increases in inflation, student funding and the average full-time wage in the UK.

If the University wants to commit to ensuring St. Andrews is accessible for all students, it starts by reducing the cost of halls of residence. Until then, we’re charging down a path of .

Our food bank drive for Storehouse St Andrews could not have gone better. So many people donated and this will make such a difference to the members of our community who are struggling right now.

A special thanks to the volunteers from CASH and St Andrews Socialist Society.

THIS IS WHAT STUDENT ACTIVISM LOOKS LIKE ✊ big love St. Andrews. If you want to continue the fight to ensure our community is protected and supported during this cost-of-living crisis, come to our event on Saturday 29 and make some noise: STUDENT PROTEST! Fight The Cost Of Living Crisis!

CASH 💛

We’re collecting for the local food bank in anticipation of their Autumn Giveaway Day!

We’ll be outside Tesco on Market Street from 3-6PM on Thursday 13 October. We’ll hand shoppers leaflets with the most in demand items, and also have a card reader for those who wish to donate in person instead of shopping.

During this severe cost-of-living crisis, help us help each other 💛

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TW: Discussion of su***de and mental health

Today we share the words of student Shiqi Zhang. Shiqi has provided a frank account of her experience of the housing crisis. Stories like these illustrate why we desperately need to ensure St. Andrews is affordable and accessible for everyone. With so many members of our community negatively impacted, it’s time we came together and put an end to the housing crisis once and for all.

If you’re struggling with the impacts of the crisis, help and support is out there and we’ve posted resources in the last slides.

Take care of yourselves 💛

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The Scottish Government have announced emergency legislation to limit rent increases until March 31 2023.

Here’s our rundown of what the rent freeze means for students in St. Andrews, and what to do if your landlord attempts to increase your rent.

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? Not for me, not for you!

Thanks to everyone who came to our march through town last week, and an especially big thanks to the incredible student photographers and .delacroix from who helped take photos of the event!

Hundreds showed up to show the University and Fife Council that we demand action on the housing crisis. We want the demands of our petition met, and we won’t stop until St. Andrews is affordable and accessible for all who choose to live here. St. Andrews is now one of the most expensive places in the UK to be a student, and we won’t sit back whilst our friends and neighbours go without a home or struggle with unaffordable rents.

What is next? We’ve got campaign elections, and encourage everyone to apply via the link in our bio. We’ve got a lot of work to do this year, and we’re ready to keep the momentum going after the march and ensure those in power listen to us.

Thanks to everyone who came along.

CASH 💛

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CASH are recruiting! We’re taking on new members this year to help grow CASH into the most effective voice for student housing advocacy in St. Andrews!

This year is set to be our biggest year yet, so if you’ve seen our work and want to take part in the fight to make St. Andrews more affordable for everyone, then come join us! Outside of formal roles, anyone can join as a member of CASH and most of our meetings going forward will be open to the public to ensure everyone gets a voice at the table.

Apply via the link in our bio!

Once elections are up, we’ll release information on how to join as an ordinary member.

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Today is the day! 1PM, Sallies Quad. Bring everyone you know! Bring a sign with the slogan ‘ ?’ and we’ll see you soon ✊

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? St. Andrews is at the bottom of the tables for social inclusion and is now one of the most expensive places in the UK to be a student.

They have attempted to fragment the movement we have started, and have stopped members of the University from working with us. They have tried to intimidate students who speak up about housing, and have made personal attacks against individual students key to our campaign.

University of St Andrews take this as notice that we aren’t going anywhere. We refuse to be silent when so many members of our community suffer the impacts of your inaction on the local housing crisis. We refuse to be intimidated, and each moment you attempt to fragment our movement we will come back louder and stronger.

We want a St. Andrews that is affordable and accessible for everyone, and we won’t stop until that’s a reality.

St Andrews top in new UK ranking

The University of St Andrews is the top university in the UK, moving ahead of Oxford and Cambridge, in the Guardian University Guide 2023 published today 🎉

Seven subjects also ranked top in the UK:

🖼 Art History
🩻 Anatomy and Physiology
🧪 Chemistry
🧮 Economics
📚 English
🕰 History
🤝 International Relations

Read more 👇

http://ow.ly/aEpj50KS26Q

We’re reiterating our demands to the University of St. Andrews, Fife Council and the Scottish Government do more to bring an end to our local housing crisis in anticipation of our march this Sunday.

If you haven’t already confirmed your attendance, do so via the link in our bio. Sign our petition there also, and join us on Sunday to show those in power that we demand change in St. Andrews

The homelessness crisis in St Andrews is not getting better and the university needs to know that the action they are doing is not enough. We've now released a new form for those still looking for housing to fill in and for those that were looking for housing before to fill in. We need to show the university how serious this issue is and that this is a problem they can't keep ignoring. Fill the form now!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScy4kzqri2Kp2h5A8r48AVb08yThPX3LVBr9n7ZKGlDyUoW3w/viewform

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Sign our petition via this link to ensure the University of St. Andrews is affordable and accessible for all who wish to study here: https://forms.gle/xjoj7iVthBs3N2tM6

The fight to make St. Andrews affordable doesn’t end with housing, as this post demonstrates. But the demands of our petition can make a real difference to the lives of St. Andrews students if actioned. We deserve far better than what the University is currently giving us, and it’s time we stand up for those currently being left behind!

Student Homelessness Crisis: SIGN OUR PETITION! https://forms.gle/WcDTGsyuh7nBrDir5

We’re demanding the University of St. Andrews, Fife Council and the Scottish Government do more to bring an end to our local housing crisis. Please share this post with everyone you know.

Student Homelessness Crisis: the (very) long read. Many people aren’t aware of the full details of the current situation, so we’ve made this post so you’re all informed. It’s a bit dense, but explains why we’re here, what students are demanding and how you can help.

We’ve listened to your concerns about the offer of accommodation in Dundee. The next step in our response is a public petition to the university and the Fife Council.

However, we want our petition to represent YOU and your stories.

So tell us, if you had could choose one demand, what would it be? Feel free to DM us and well include the most popular responses in our petition.

CASH St. Andrews

To make sure you’re up to date with our news, follow us on all platforms!

CASH St Andrews

CASH St. Andrews

The total figure of students on track to be homeless by September is 270. There is still no official statement from the University.

The breakdown by year group of students impacted is as follows:
Year 1: 4.1%
Year 2: 43.4%
Year 3: 19.3%
Year 4: 21.1%
Year 5: 1.2%
Postgraduate: 11.1%

We are continuing to see the figures increase after our attempts to reach out to the incoming Postgraduate population. Almost half of all responses since our last update are now from Postgraduate students.

Again, if you still do not have a home for next year please fill in your details in this form: https://forms.gle/qoPH7YNVPAPRYu117

In the 24 hours since we launched our campaign to investigate the issue of student homelessness, over 230 students have confirmed to us that they are without a home for next academic year in St. Andrews. The academic year begins in just 5 weeks.

Such a number of homeless students is unprecedented in the modern history of the University of St. Andrews. What we have uncovered is on track to be the single largest student housing crisis ever in our community, and so far senior leadership are ignoring the issue. We have read your responses and will fight to ensure your voices are brought to the forefront in any engagements with the University. We are particularly concerned by issues highlighted by those students who find themselves in less fortunate circumstances and will demand the University respond to your situation in an appropriate manner. However, no student should go homeless and we will not stop until that is a reality.

As University offices have closed over the weekend, dialogue with the University will commence again on Monday. We'll keep you posted with any developments.

Again, if you are impacted and you still do not have a home for next academic year, please fill in the form below. In the meantime, please follow our page for regular updates on the ongoing situation.

Thanks

CASH St. Andrews

https://forms.gle/FD62xxRcAqLfQhE39

A severe and worsening homelessness crisis is unfolding at the University of St. Andrews and we request your urgent support and attention.

IF YOU HAVEN'T FOUND A PROPERTY FOR NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR, PLEASE FILL IN YOUR DETAILS IN THIS FORM: https://forms.gle/gEuFBjQHdhoZ7M8S7

Over the last two years, the University of St. Andrews has increased student numbers by an overwhelming amount despite virtually no increase in the provision of beds available to students. In the few hours since we launched our campaign today, over 70 students have been in touch to say they will be homeless next academic year. Most letting agents in town have no properties left and halls of residence are at full capacity.

Without emergency intervention on behalf of the University of St. Andrews, many students will be homeless for the academic year 2022/23. We have informed the University several times of this crisis as it unfolded and have been told that the issue is not as serious as we characterise. It has now become apparent the issue is far more serious than we could have imagined.

If you or anyone you know still hasn’t found a home, please fill in this form ASAP. This will then be presented to University leadership in the coming days to demand immediate action to ensure no student is left homeless.

CASH St. Andrews

The work of CASH never stops, not even in summer! Currently we’re researching into how a rent pressure zone would work in St. Andrews. However, in order for us to present the case to Fife Council, we need YOUR stories of how your rent has increased for next academic year! It has to be the same property. Please message us with any stories if this has happened to you so we can all continue the fight for fairer rent together 💪💪

Have you been evicted from your property during the Open Championship? You might not think you’ve been evicted, but if you have been faced with unreasonable, extortionate rent increases or have been forced to sign a clause saying you will vacate the property during July, you have been effectively evicted from your home.

Some of the largest landlords and estate agents in town are already pursuing illegal and immoral tactics to force tenants out during July so they can let the properties to visiting tourists and spectators. The thing is: these are our homes. They are not assets which can be traded or taken away easily and we refuse to let our landlords get away with this assault on our right to safety and security in the places we choose to live.

If you think you have been impacted, get in touch today and share your experience. We are working in collaboration with members of Living Rent, Scotland’s largest tenants union. Join Living Rent as a member and support our collective campaign to reform St. Andrews for the better.

A lot of incoming freshers have been left without a room in halls.

If you know a student in this position, pls email president@.

If you know of any room/property available in town, please email [email protected].
Please include in your email:
- amount of rooms you’re renting out
- rent per person
- whether you have a preference in who you’ll live with (gender or year of study)
- where your property is
- whether there is a live-in landlord
- whether utilities are included, and if so which ones
- whether you have pictures available, or could do a virtual tour
These would be longer term lets, likely until at last May, with a chance for extension over next academic year