Good morning. Welcome back to Survival Guide. Isabella here. 

Many of us have struggled to afford their energy bills over the past few years – but some people are paying particularly extortionate rates.

More than 700 households on a heating network in Peckham are paying as much as three times the typical energy bill, forking out thousands of pounds a year each. To top it off, sometimes their heating doesn’t work. 

Heat networks supply heat from a central source and are intended to be more environmentally-friendly and cost-effective than individual boilers – but it means residents are unable to switch energy providers or control their energy bills through usage.

The Peckham network has left consumers with eye-watering bills despite being unreliable, leaving residents without hot water and heating when temperatures plummeted and the UK was hit by winter storms. We meet two of the residents in this newsletter.

Also read on for a brilliantly uplifting story about a woman in her 70s who discovered opera while facing homelessness…

If you have a story to share, we want to listen. Get in touch at isabella.mcrae@bigissue.com or share your story here.

'People are worried about being made homeless'

Max Templer, a resident on the Gloucester Grove estate in Peckham, told the Big Issue residents had faced a £5,000 service charge covering energy bills alongside a £4,700 bill for major works.

“I’m stressed out by the cost and it makes your flat basically very difficult to sell because the service charge is so high,” says Max. 

“But for some of my neighbours, they’re really worried about not being able to pay their service charge and people are really worried about being made homeless by these kinds of costs.”

Another resident Dolly Thomas says that residents worry the high charges could lead to them losing their home.

“We had to have electric heating on all over the house at the weekend, I don’t know what is going to cost us,” explains Dolly, who lives in the property with her disabled daughter.

“Monthly we’re paying £654 for the service charge which includes the heating. Whether it’s summer or winter we still pay that money. Whether it’s working or not we still pay that money. I don’t know what to do. Everyone is worried.”

Read the story.

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It's 1,000 days since the Vagrancy Act was repealed – so why are rough sleepers still criminalised? Neither the Labour government nor its Tory predecessors have set a date for it to be finally removed from the statute book. Read more.

London workers earn in 8 months what Burnley workers do in a year. It's hurting UK growth. Out of the 63 largest towns and cities, nearly all those with above-average salaries for the UK are based around the south-east of England. Read about it.

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Denise was made homeless in her 60s and slept on night buses. Then she found opera – and it saved her

Denise Allison’s life story could be the subject of an opera. The 75-year-old became homeless in her seventh decade and spent the best part of eight months using her freedom pass to keep warm on night buses.

She had been a one-on-one carer and lived in her patients’ homes, but when she injured her hand, she had nowhere to go. Her GP suggested she go to a day centre for people experiencing homelessness, and it was there she found an unexpected source of salvation.

Denise heard Streetwise Opera singing. Their sound reverberated right through the building. Within a few weeks, she had built up the courage to join them – and she is still singing with them today. 

“There’s a good, hopeful feeling of camaraderie and friendship. We all work together. We’re all pleased to see each other every week. I’ve made some good friends from Streetwise and I’ve introduced people to Streetwise. It’s a place you have that’s steady in your life if you’re homeless,” Denise writes.

“Streetwise Opera says every single one of us can sing, even you reading this. You just have to go try it. You’ll fit into some group and you’ll be able to sing. There’s music in every single one of us.”

Read Denise’s story here.