Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Streetlink - a service for reporting and helping homelessness and rough sleepers

It is sad, but a fact, that at this time of year many of us will become very aware of homeless people living in our wards - particularly wards with shopping centres.

Residents might be interested in a new reporting service that was launched today. As the website says.

The programme encourages members of the public to phone or use the online form to inform Streetlink when they see a homeless person on the street. Streetlink then passes the information to the relevant local council, which will then notify local homelessness services. StreetLink will also follow up the council within ten days to find out what happened, and pass this information on to the member of the public who notified them, if they ask to be kept informed.

The telephone number for reporting is 0300 9000 0914.

The website is www.streetlink.org.uk

Tags for Forum Posts: homelessness

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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on September 28, 2015 at 19:06

I think one of the problems in getting help to street homeless people (apart from the cuts to the money that funds the help) is that the onus rests with individual local authorities. By its very nature street homelessness doesn't stick to borough boundaries. If the person sleeping rough under the railway bridge just moves a hundred meters or so towards the tube they turn into Hackey's "problem". Also, street homelessness tends to be concentrated more in central London boroughs, again with what feels like arbitrary decisions made on whose "owns" the homeless person, for example in the west end. I took part, several years ago, in a late night count of rough sleepers and the numbers dictated the amount of funding for homelessness services. We actual got into distinctions about if someone was trying to bed down in Camden or Westminster as they were right on the border.
Surely a better approach would be for a London wide response so that funding and resources were pooled.

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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on September 29, 2015 at 8:10

Interesting account Michael. Monday week ago, the problem was almost literally on the Council's doorstep (actually, the rear of the Civic Centre).

It's a difficult problem but one that requires resources in order to help. Is there anything more that – pending a wider London response – you think our local Council can or should do?

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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on September 29, 2015 at 9:30

Their provision of more hostel units would be a start. At the moment Haringey has access to just over 190 hostel bed spaces. With the rise in London's population and the cost of renting slipping out of the reach of many the problem will only increase. I don't know how much it costs to both create and then manage and maintain a hostel space year on year but funding has to come from a better financial settlement from government. However this is a sticking plaster for the real problem, the lack of affordable housing.
My worry is that the latest government plan, landlords taking on the responsibility for checking the residency status of potential private sector renters, will only exacerbate the problem.
On the issue that restarted this thread, the person sleeping under the bridge, it's worth noting that you pay to stay in any local authority run hostel, they're not free. If you are not entitled to housing benefit most won't accept you so you rely on the charitable sector and night shelters, if they have space.

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Permalink Reply by Betty Careless on September 29, 2015 at 13:32

Most charitable sector provision is funded via housing benefit to - generally it's only the emergency night shelter doss down for a night in a church stuff that is free. those places only tend to open in the winter and are literally life saving as places to stay out of the cold but usually don't have the resources to provide a lot wrap around support (that's not a criticism they do amazing work, just to say they are 'emergency' provision not a properly resourced long term solution). This is likely to get even worse once the cuts to housing benefits for under 21's kicks in. I put this on another thread, but in case anyone needs itservices that can support homeless people in/from Harringey