What Direct Action Actually Means
The Myth vs The Reality
Often Portrayed As:
Disruptive
Reckless
Extreme
In Reality:
A practical response to systems that do not respond to need
Read how our community made Newcastle Council listen through direct action.
What Direct Action Means
Direct action means people acting together to apply pressure where polite requests and formal processes have failed.
- It is collective, not individual
- It is strategic, not spontaneous
Why Direct Action Is Necessary
For people facing poverty and housing insecurity, direct action is often the only way to be heard.
Complaints, appeals, and advice routes are slow, inaccessible, or designed to manage dissent rather than resolve harm.
Direct action is not about chaos.
It is about shifting power.
Take Direct Action Together
Join members who organize collectively, act strategically, and apply pressure where formal processes fail. Together we shift power and demand change.
Become a MemberFrequently Asked Questions
What is direct action?
Direct action means people acting together to apply pressure where polite requests and formal processes have failed. It is collective, not individual. It is strategic, not spontaneous. Direct action is about shifting power, not chaos.
Is direct action disruptive?
Direct action is often portrayed as disruptive, reckless, or extreme. In reality, it is a practical response to systems that do not respond to need. When formal processes fail to address harm, collective action becomes necessary.
Why do people facing poverty use direct action?
For people facing poverty and housing insecurity, direct action is often the only way to be heard. Complaints, appeals, and advice routes are slow, inaccessible, or designed to manage dissent rather than resolve harm.
Is direct action chaotic or strategic?
Direct action is strategic, not spontaneous. It is collective, not individual. It is not about chaos—it is about shifting power from systems that ignore need to communities demanding change.
37% of private renters & around 40% of social renters are in poverty after housing costs and that many households are only pushed into poverty once rent is paid.
After housing costs matter because it shows what people have left to live on, not what they earn.
Freezing Local Housing Allowance while rents rise is deepening hardship. We see this every week in the lives of our members. But increasing this allowance in a housing system without rent regulation does not solve the problem.
Sometimes change doesn't start with a big plan. It starts with people talking about what they're seeing every day, and deciding they can't ignore it anymore. That's how this campaign began.
It Started at a Members' Meeting
At a regular Food and Solidarity members' meeting, child poverty came up again. Members talked about how the two-child benefit cap was affecting families, and how immigration rules like NRPF (No Recourse to Public Funds) meant some families couldn't get help at all.
Someone suggested: what if we actually organised around this?
The UK Poverty report, published annually by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, is the authoritative analysis of poverty in the UK. Drawing on extensive data sources, it identifies who is most affected by poverty, tracks how levels have evolved over time, and examines what lies ahead. The report provides in-depth insights into overall poverty rates, deep poverty, and persistent poverty across different groups throughout the UK.
This Valentine’s Day, people across the North of England are choosing a different kind of love: comradely love. Love that looks like showing up for each other when rents rise, repairs are ignored, and eviction threats land on the doormat.
On 14 February 2026, housing groups, tenants, and people fed up with being pushed around by landlords and councils will come together in Sheffield for the Homes for Us North Grassroots Housing Gathering.
This isn’t a conference for professionals. It’s a gathering for people living in the housing crisis, and deciding to take action together, because nothing changes unless you and other affected people are directly involved.
Jan Forster estates limited recently called in administrators who downsized the company (reducing it to a single office and sacking staff) selling it off to the former managing director and daughter of the registered directors Angela Dennison (aka Angela Forster) as a phoenix company. The new company is DENNISON PROPERTY SERVICES LTD but will continue trading under Jan Forster Estates, in a triumph of personal vanity over brand viability.
What is a SLAPP?
A Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) is not really about winning a legal case. It’s about stopping people from speaking.
SLAPPs are a misuse of the legal system. They involve bringing, or more commonly threatening, legal action that is weak, vague, or unmeritorious, using aggressive tactics to shut down lawful criticism or organising on matters of public interest.
Why you shouldn’t donate to a fundraiser…but become a member instead (or as well!)
There’s just 5 days left to donate to our 2025 Xmas art fundraiser and support bigger food parcels this Xmas for members (final date 19th December). But don’t worry, I’m here to discourage you from donating! Instead, consider becoming a Food & Solidarity member. There’s no rush! You can actually do this at any time and not just for Xmas.
This April, Food & Solidarity is running a practical workshop on housing organising - how to act when someone near you is in trouble, and how neighbours can back each other up instead of dealing with landlords and councils alone.
The day before, we're also taking part in a booklet launch that came directly out of that work.
These events are about what happens when neighbours stop dealing with housing problems alone - and start acting together.