The camp outside the former Barclays bank

A WOMAN who lived in a makeshift ­structure in Kentish Town passed away on Tuesday after being found unresponsive in the street.

Thought to be in her 60s and a Spanish speaker, she was known as Maria and as Lidia. Anybody walking through the area in the past six months is likely to have seen her sheltering in front of the former Barclays bank in Kentish Town Road. It is understood she had experienced homelessness for several years.

A spokesperson from outreach organisation Streets Kitchen said: “The passing of yet another friend on the streets of Camden reminds us that we walk past temporary structures and humans sleeping under polystyrene as though it’s an acceptable part of everyday London life. It must end, now, and we should not need the deaths of so many people experiencing homelessness to jolt us into action.”

They added: “We all need to do more: citizens, council and national government. We are all a community facing a humanitarian crisis.”

On December 29, she moved from the spot as builders fitted windows for a new dental ­surgery and she was told it could be dangerous.

On Tuesday she was found unresponsive by somebody taking her food. Ambulances were called to Islip Street but she had passed away.

Jamie Klein, managing director of The Maintenance Guys in Grafton Road, was passing by the scene when he saw ambulances this week.

“She was just a happy lady,” he said. “She’s well known in the community. She was in a happy place outside that bank, probably because she was left there alone for so long and she had so many visitors on a daily basis. I strongly believe she was failed by the system.”

Tributes praising her independence and kindness have poured in.

Maria Anning, who works in Age UK in Kentish Town Road, and had seen the woman in Camden for the past six years, said checking in on her every day had become part of her commute.

“It’s crazy because we all looked out for her,” she said. “We all tried to support her. Creams next door would let her in until closing time. The whole community was offering her food and we were offering her clothes. “She was such a gentle soul. She never said a bad word about anyone. She never complained. She was very shy, like a little birdy that had fallen out of a nest.”

Ms Anning added: “Whenever she came into the shop, I’d ask her if she would like anything. She would always say no. But then if I brought it to her, she would take it.”

Diane Dalzell, who lives nearby, said she remembered the little homemade knitted jacket she wore and how she would never let anyone buy her a coffee.  “She was lovely, really delightful. She shouldn’t have been allowed to die on the pavement on her own during Christmas,” she said.

Nicky Bernard, one of Ms Dalzell’s friends, spoke to her before Christmas. “She lit up when I spoke to her in Spanish,” she said. “She said she was from Bolivia. She told me she had a bad chest and she kept saying, ‘I need antibiotics for my chest’. We couldn’t get antibiotics for her over the counter so I gave her some Vicks for her chest. But that’s not going to end an infection.”

The woman’s belongings in Islip Street

According to those that knew her, she was “terrified of immigration” and going places where there were lots of men. She did not accept Ms Dalzell’s offer to drive her to the hospital.  They contacted referral service StreetLink on December 23 about her health.

StreetLink told the New Journal it informed the council who said “they wouldn’t be going out to look for the woman because she was already known to them” and had previously refused offers of help. The council said it did send someone.

Thomas Kelly, another Kentish Town resident, said: “The thing is, that was her home. It might be a box to people that go by it. But that box was her home and she seemed happy in it. “It’s so sad seeing all her belongings left there, waiting for the rubbish men to come. Those were her things, that was her life. She was a human being. Everyone has a story to tell.”

He added: “People can’t pay their rent because they’re not earn­ing enough money to get ahead. There’s no homes for people like there used to be years ago. “I’ve got family who are working hard but are still struggling to get by. I’ve never seen so many rough sleepers in my time.”

A Camden Council spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of this person’s ­passing and it is heartbreaking that they passed away while experiencing home­lessness. Our condolences are with all who knew them.

“The identity of the person has yet to be confirmed. If it is the person we believe it to be, we worked with our partners to offer support to them over a long period of time, including throughout December, and our outreach team routinely visited them to provide offers of accommodation and support.”

Police said they were not treating the woman’s death as suspicious.