Streets Kitchen and campaigners wait to go into the Town Hall for the Housing Scrutiny meeting

CAMPAIGNERS have called for an independent review into Camden’s homelessness service after the council filed its own review and praised how it works.

The report – discussed by a committee of councillors this week – followed the council’s involvement in the eviction of rough sleepers staying in tents outside UCLH in November.

It took similar action to makeshift shelters set up outside the council’s headquarters in June.

The Town Hall’s report found its “rough sleeping services work well in Camden, despite the scale of the challenge that the services face”.

But Jon Glackin, from Streets Kitchen, which supports people experiencing homelessness, told the council’s housing scrutiny committee on Tuesday: “You cannot investigate yourselves. We were promised that this would be an urgent review nine months ago. We have always asked since day one that it has to be an independent review.”

He added: “We find it quite disheartening and disappointing to read that the bottom line is Camden’s rough sleeping services work well.That is not our experience. That is not the experience of many groups.”

Camden Council was involved in the action which led to tents being thrown into rubbish trucks in November

Lib Dem councillor Nancy Jirira agreed, telling the committee: “I think it is time that we put this forward to say the community wasn’t happy with the report that was done.”

But Labour councillor Richard Cotton questioned what an independent review would add and said he was hopeful that his party’s new government will nationally better tackles homelessness.

He said: “I think this is a really good, thorough report. Ultimately we’re never going to solve this problem until we have enough homes for people. It’s a much wider issue that appears to be getting worse.”

Eleven recommendations proposed by the review include providing a hub for people rough sleeping that is accessible seven days a week and an out-of-hours outreach and crisis response.

The report also mentions a current lack of clarity around the use of enforcement on rough sleepers and suggests producing a framework of how officers should act.

Cllr Cotton said: “Streets Kitchen argue we should never be using any kind of enforcement measures; on the other hand Cllr Callaghan and myself received for a while hourly emails from residents in the Jeffrey Street area complaining that both Camden Gardens and College Gardens have become tent cities, so exactly what is the council expected to do?”

Councillor Richard Cotton: ‘What exactly is the council expected to do?’

Vic Seedman from the Camden Federation of Private Tenants said a man living in a tent outside their office was handed an anti-social behaviour notice that morning by two council community wardens “without offering care and support”. Deputy council leader Pat Callaghan said she would look into the incident.

Mr Seedman said: “He’s not causing any trouble. We need some clarity about that. What’s the balance between care and support?”
Nearly 500 people, including Amnesty International, Liberty and Unite Housing Workers, have signed Streets Kitchen’s petition calling on the council to conduct an independent review.

Jen Clark, economic, social and cultural rights lead at Amnesty, said the organisation was “al­armed to learn the criminalisation of rough sleeping in Camden continues”.

Referring to the Huntley Street eviction last November, she said: “The council’s internal investigation report resulting from this particular instance fails to address the cross-cutting causes of this kind of rights violation.

“Instead of continuing down a path of siloed, internal investigation, the local authority should work with other local statutory sector partners to arrange an independent, cross-sector investigation into the causal factors that lead to criminalisation of rough sleepers and its impact.”–

A Camden Council spokesperson said: “We completely reject the accusation that rough sleeping is criminalised in Camden – we care deeply about helping anyone who is homeless or is at risk of homelessness. Our rough sleeping service works with specialist agencies and partners every single day to give the personalised support needed to help people off the streets, to rebuild their lives and regain their independence.”