Thames Reach, a charity working to end street homelessness, has welcomed Lambeth’s focus on prioritising rough sleeping in its new homelessness and rough sleeping strategy.
The council works in partnership with Thames Reach, to provide daily outreach services to rough sleeping individuals in the borough.
Isobel McKenna, Area Director at Thames Reach, has commended the borough’s commitment to reducing rough sleeping, given its financial pressures.
She said: “As a provider of support services to many boroughs in London and the surrounding counties, Thames Reach are painfully aware of the financial pressure councils have been under in recent years.
“We are very grateful that in Lambeth, this pressure has had minimal impact on the services we provide and the outcomes we have achieved together through partnership work and a collaborative approach to commissioning.
“We welcome the latest homelessness strategy as it recommits to addressing rough sleeping in Lambeth through the provision of well-resourced, innovative services, and a shared vision for the next 5 years.
“The council has worked hard to reduce the prevalence and impact of rough sleeping, collaborating effectively with the voluntary sector to provide real solutions. This strategy builds on that work and Lambeth’s partnership approach sets a strong example for others to follow.”
Despite deep cuts to the council’s budget, Lambeth has protected many services to help rough sleepers and is continuing to spend around £5 million annually on a range of support.
Lambeth’s homelessness and rough sleeping strategy was adopted at a meeting of the council’s Cabinet on Monday following an extensive public consultation.
As a local housing authority, the council is required to carry out a periodic review of homelessness and publish a homelessness strategy based on the results every five years.
The most significant change since Lambeth’s last homelessness review has been the increase in the number of households living in temporary accommodation.
Councillor Danny Adilypour, Deputy Leader of Lambeth Council and Cabinet Member for Housing, Investment and New Homes said the strategy aimed to prevent homelessness through early intervention and working with partners to provide rapid support for those on the streets, to ensure that rough sleeping remains rare, brief, and non-recurrent.
He added: “With 34,000 households on the Lambeth housing register, and over 4,800 in temporary accommodation, but only about 700 council and housing association tenancies available each year, we face an increasingly challenging task against a backdrop of severely constrained financial resources.
“The cost of housing families this year has gone up to £100 million – £30 million more than what was available meaning further challenging decisions and difficult savings will be necessary to maintain financial stability, so that we can continue to provide the vital services Lambeth’s most vulnerable residents rely on.”
