Have your say on Camden’s new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy
Camden Council has launched a consultation on its new five-year strategy for reducing homelessness and rough sleeping in the borough.
The strategy sets out a bold, partnership-led plan for reducing homelessness, improving housing options, and supporting people with joined-up health and care services - while campaigning nationally for the powers and resources needed to tackle the root causes.
The draft Strategy builds on the council's transformation work with residents who have lived experience of homelessness, as well as with local community partners that are working to support people experiencing homelessness.
Now, the wider community - residents, people with lived experience, community groups and service providers - are being invited to share their views and help continue shaping this vital strategy.
It comes at a time when the number of people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping is on the rise in London and across the country. In Camden, over 1,000 households are now living in temporary accommodation and there has been a 26% increase in the number of people experiencing rough sleeping.
Private rents in Camden are among the highest in the country – averaging £2,400 a month, while growing numbers of households in debt or rent arrears and national cuts to welfare and health services are placing more people at risk in our borough.
To support residents experiencing or who are at risk of homelessness, Camden has invested £39 million this year into its homelessness and rough sleeping services to provide tailored welfare, housing and employment support. The Council is also building new hostels, hundreds of new social and affordable homes, and buying back family-sized properties to help ease housing pressures on the 8,000 families on the council’s housing waiting list.
Camden’s new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy aims to build on this work over the next five years to make homelessness “rare, brief and non-recurrent.”
New initiatives set to be introduced include:
- A significant expansion of Camden’s Housing First programme, with 30 new units by April 2026
- 280 additional bed spaces in family-sized temporary accommodation, building on the 307 properties already purchased by the Council
- A new neighbourhood-based approach, bringing together housing, health, social care and community services to provide joined-up support tailored to residents’ needs
- The introduction of “personal passports” to improve residents’ access to support and reduce the need to repeatedly share personal information
- Expansion of supported accommodation for young people and exploration of initiatives like the ‘House Project,’ which helps care-experienced young people gain the skills, confidence and support networks they need to live independently
- A continued commitment to co-producing services together with residents who have lived experience
We are clear that no one should have to face homelessness alone or be left with no choice but to sleep rough. Yet this is becoming a painful reality for more and more people as levels of homelessness continue to rise. This is simply not acceptable - and I know many in our community feel the same.
Our new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy acknowledges the deep-rooted challenges driving this crisis - from rising housing costs to cuts to vital services. We are at a tipping point, already spending more than £26million a year on temporary accommodation, with costs expected to rise without urgent action.
As a council, we are determined to do everything we can to prevent homelessness and rough sleeping. This strategy sets out a bold, compassionate and collaborative response – shaped by residents with lived experience and built on the knowledge and strength of our local services and community partners. It outlines the urgent action we will take locally, and the changes we need to see nationally – including increased funding for boroughs like Camden that are experiencing the sharpest effects of the housing crisis.
Now, we want to hear from more residents, community groups and people with lived experience to help us shape a strategy that delivers lasting change – and helps ensure everyone in Camden has a safe place to call home.
Have your say on Camden’s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy. The consultation is open until 29 September.
Camden’s new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy has been co-produced with residents who have experience of homelessness alongside local community partners and groups. It is built on four key priorities:
Prevent homelessness and rough sleeping
The council acknowledges that it cannot prevent homelessness or rough sleeping alone - to make real change the council will work with partners, communities and people to share resources, insight and data to identify people more at risk and intervene to support them as early as possible.
Provide joined-up housing, health and social care support
Where homelessness does occur, the council will act to make it as brief as possible. Council and partner services will work closely together to provide information and support that responds to residents’ individual circumstances and is tailored to their personal needs.
Secure more accessible, affordable, and long-term housing
Stable housing is essential in preventing homelessness and enabling people to rebuild their lives after experiencing of homelessness. The council will invest in a range of good quality and affordable housing options to meet residents’ needs - from temporary accommodation to social housing.
Campaign nationally for systemic change and share learning
Structural change is needed to end and reduce homelessness and rough sleeping, which addresses the underlying causes of poverty and housing insecurity and increases the powers and resources available to councils and the homelessness sector