Council Actions Illustrate Division in Dealing with Homeless & Rough Sleepers

First People Housing and many other charities have continually called on government action to help tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. The change of government in July has sparked optimism among advocates that real change can be carried out over the coming years to aid the efforts of advocates and charities across the space.  

Public acknowledgement from the Deputy Prime Minister has put pressure on the Labour government to follow through on it’s manifesto plans to end no-fault evictions and to increase social housing. Angela Rayner described the ongoing issue as the “most acute housing crisis in living memory” and she publicly admitted that the record levels of homelessness was nothing short of a “national scandal”.  

While the admittance obviously makes for bleak reading, it does provide a level of accountability for her to make a public decree of this nature. It is not uncommon for politicians to say a lot with saying anything at all, rather than giving the public the truth of a situation they are overseeing. This should deepen the burden of the national government to enact real change.  

Despite the positive outlook, recent actions of Councils around the UK have illustrated attitudinal differences among those managing services across the country, which can have dangerous effects for those in need.

As a former resident of Liverpool and a current resident of London, there is no doubt in my mind that there are built-in cultural differences between the cities. While both cities are known for their art, culture, nightlife, football and scenery, they are fundamentally different in outlook towards stereotypes and institutions. Despite these differences, one foundational area of similarity is the rampant levels of homelessness and rough sleepers in each city.

The actions of Liverpool City and Camden Council over the last week outline the difference in perspective among those who manage the services throughout the country. This past week, Liverpool City Council outlined their pro-active, rather than re-active approach to following through on their 2023 manifesto pledge of making Liverpool a homeless free city. The local authority aims to use a “ladder approach” in order to render homelessness “rare, brief and non-recurring”. Last year, the council increased the homelessness budget by £12.5m. Furthermore, the new strategy will prioritise offering early support to residents vulnerable to homelessness and partner with landlords and social housing providers to improve housing accessibility.

This week, the latest official data pertaining to homelessness and temporary accommodation in the city was published and the figures are indicative of a crisis reaching unchartered levels. The results show that a record number of children are homeless and living in temporary accommodation in Liverpool. The figure has risen 60% from 514 to 820 children living in temporary accommodation at the end of March this year compared with the same time in 2023. This is also at the highest level since records began in 2004. Furthermore, between 2017/18 and 2023/24, rough sleeping across Liverpool increased by 141% and the demand for homelessness assessments in Q4 of 2023 increased by 19% in comparison to the same quarter 12 months earlier.

These findings are abhorrent. They illustrate what we see throughout the country. This crisis is reaching previously unseen levels.  

The actions of Liverpool City Council and the Deputy Prime Minister suggest that the issue is being prioritised and seriously addressed. When compared with the response of Camden Council this week, you are confronted with the reality that some councillors take the time to understand the problem, and some take a hostile approach.

This week, Camden Council effectively banned rough sleepers from staying outside their headquarters in North London despite claims it is one of the safer areas for the homeless to sleep in the capital. The council installed large plant pots and bike storage racks to prevent the homeless from sleeping under the sheltered area, citing safety reasons for the change. Local News Website MyLondon gained first hand accounts from refugees in the area, who claimed it was one of the safest places for them to sleep in the borough.  

While we appreciate the input from Camden council on the safety of sleeping in the sheltered area, we would attach more credence to the opinions of those who actually sleep there.  

Camden Council decided that the appearance of homeless people and rough sleepers outside their HQ (which happens to be a stones-throw from Google’s corporate offices) was more important than the safety of those who they are supposed to support. This response is antagonistic at a time where rough sleeping in London is rife. The Guardian reports that 12,000 rough sleepers were seen by outreach workers in 2023-24, a 19% increase on the previous year. In addition, the number of rough sleepers has reached it’s highest level in ten years, with more than 1,100 people living on London’s streets for the first time because of evictions. They also emphasise that almost one in ten people living on the streets was aged 25 or under – including 13 children.

At a time of such crisis and uncertainty, the actions of the respective council’s of Liverpool and Camden perfectly illustrate the need for a united front. Having some councils taking an empathetic and proactive approach is great in isolation. However, if the councillors 200 miles away treat the homeless as a burden, rather than treating them like people, it is going to be difficult for the country to make substantive inroads on the issue at hand.