Three South London boroughs in top 10 highest homeless rate in country

Three South London boroughs are in the top 10 local areas with the highest homelessness rate in the whole of England, according to a new report.

The report, from homelessness charity Shelter, found that Lewisham, Wandsworth and Southwark are placed sixth, seventh and eighth respectively.

Lewisham, with the highest homelessness rate in South London, has an estimated 7,293 people who are homeless and living in temporary accommodation arranged by the council.

The borough’s rate of homelessness – calculated by comparing the estimated number of people who are homeless to the total population of the area – shows one in 41 people are homeless.

In Wandsworth one in 45 people are homeless, while in Southwark the rate is one in 46 people.

There are 10,006 children living in temporary accommodation across all three boroughs, said the report.

The chief executive of homeless charity 999 Club in Deptford, Tom Neumark, said the figures were a “sign of success but also struggle”.

“We’ve not gone back to the high numbers of people sleeping on the streets like before the pandemic,” Mr Neumark said.  “But there are more and more people sleeping in temporary accommodation than ever before.

“If central Government wanted to it could get people out of temporary accommodation. Its spending a fortune on paying private landlords to provide temporary accommodation.”

One of 999 Club’s clients, Jim, who did not want to reveal his second name, had been rough sleeping in Lewisham for two and a half years.

“I slept in car parks in Catford, behind Aldi’s in Catford, Ladywell Park, I slept in doorways in Deptford High Street,” he said.

“Being on the streets you get people that abuse you saying ‘go away you scummy homeless junkie, drunk’ or whatever.

“I’ve had people threaten to kick the **** out of me if I didn’t give them 5 pounds to sleep in a doorway.

“The mentality of some people they just don’t see you as human. When I’ve been sleeping on the street I’ve been urinated on, I had one geezer try and set me alight. He actually got a can of petrol and just started spraying petrol over my sleeping bag. He was going round saying homeless people should be burnt.”

Eventually Jim did find help with the 999 Club and this year spent the first Christmas in three years with a roof over his head.

Lewisham councillor Sophie Davis, cabinet member for housing, said: “These figures show the urgent need for additional investment and action from central government to tackle the housing crisis and end homelessness.

“We are working hard to prevent and reduce homelessness in Lewisham – supporting residents to find safe and secure housing, building more social and affordable homes and helping rough sleepers off the streets into accommodation – but the challenges we face are not unique to the borough or to London.

“In order to tackle the national housing crisis and end homelessness, we need additional investment from the Government in social and affordable housebuilding and action to tackle the root causes of housing insecurity and homelessness, including the long-awaited ban on no-fault evictions.”

This winter we are asking our readers to help those struggling with the cost of living crisis in any way they can. To donate to the 999 Club, please visit https://999club.org/donate-with-donorfy/

Pictured top: The Shelter report showed that London remains the “epicentre of the homelessness crisis”, according to London Councils (Picture: PA)