Londoners 'must come together to tackle blight of homelessness'

Housing chief: James Murray called on Londoners to rally to tackle homelessness

Londoners must come together to generate the ideas, the money and the imagination needed to tackle the capital’s homelessness crisis, the mayor’s housing chief told an audience last night.

James Murray, Sadiq Khan’s deputy mayor for housing, said it was vital the city works to reverse a trend which has seen the number of rough sleepers more than double in just five years.

Speaking at a lecture to raise funds for the Standard’s Young & Homeless Helpline appeal at the National theatre, he said: “The sad reality in London is that homelessness and rough sleeping have both risen in recent years.

“But although things have gotten worse there is some cause for optimism – it’s the coming together to do something about the problem.

“We clearly need to do more. We need to come up with better ideas and have the resources and funds to put into that.

“I would want all Londoners to understand what homelessness – in its widest sense – really means.

“If people understand how pervasive it is, the effects it has, how it’s hidden, effect on young people and families.

“I think the goodness of Londoners means we rise to the occasion.”

Moving scenes: Sarah Lee stars in emotional play Love 
Sarah Lee

Sarah Sands, editor of the Standard, chaired the discussion - Homelessness, better or worse in 2017? - an assessment of London’s success and failures in countering the housing crisis.

Panellists included playwright Alexander Zeldin, Centrepoint chief executive Seyi Obakin and Louise Walker, a spokeswoman for charity Shelter.

Mr Zeldin’s critically-acclaimed play Love follows the story of three families placed into temporary accommodation to explore the links between homelessness, mental illness and austerity.

He told the audience: “I think this problem is so vast and so profound that to limit it just to homelessness is a mistake.

“We need to fund local authorities more, fund councils better and we need to resource the vulnerable in our society better.”

Ms Walker told the audience how she was made homeless along with her four children after the breakdown of her marriage.

She spent a year living at a friend’s home before the council moved her and her children into a bed and breakfast - an experience that left her feeling “demonised”.

Ms Walker, who worked with Zeldin on developing his play, saidd: “I was treated as though I had made myself homeless.

“They make you feel as though you have brought this upon yourself and you deserve what you get. I didn’t want to go to them for help, but I did assume that when I went there they would be able to help.

“That should be the case; but often that door is shut in your face and it’s the charities having to pick up the pieces.

“A lot of them are underfunded and they are struggling as well. To pass the buck and ask charities to bear the brunt of it is asking too much.”

Centrepoint chief executive Seyi Obakin said: “There is no question in my mind it is getting worse.

“It seems to me that our system is in denial.

“You just need to look at the numbers the number of people sleeping rough in London has gone up from 3,900 in 2010 to just over 8,000.

“Back in 2010 there was 330 young people under 25 sleeping rough in London, today there is 830 of them – that’s more than double.”

She added: “I think there is a case that us as a society and in the community must work together to try and solve the problem. If I could do one thing it would be to get the system to think about people as people, rather than boxes.”

Proceeds from the debate will go to Centrepoint to help run the helpline.

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