Camden responds to the new Prime Minister’s pledge to end rough sleeping

It’s welcome news that Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to end rough sleeping. In Camden, we look forward to working with the government to deliver on this shared ambition.

Rough sleeping is the most visible and extreme form of homelessness and is a tragic manifestation of the shortage of affordable housing and of poverty and inequality but also of complex social vulnerabilities. This is why eradicating rough sleeping requires comprehensive support services alongside increased housing provision.

In Camden, we’ve invested £39 million into our rough sleeping and housing support services this year to deliver tailored housing, welfare, and employment support while working to prevent homelessness before it occurs. We’ve worked closely with people who have experience of homelessness and rough sleeping to help us design trauma-informed and personalised support that can meet the needs of the individuals who are living on our streets and to join up housing, health and social care services to help people rebuild their lives.

However, the housing crisis has hit central London the hardest, and we continue to see high levels of rough sleeping. We need more national support, resources, and accountability across public sector partners to respond to these growing pressures and deliver long-lasting, meaningful change. We look forward to finding out more about the new pledge and what this means for Camden. Above all, we want to work closely with the new Government to secure the long-term funding and make the changes needed to end street homelessness for good.