Cash-strapped councils need to start finding better solutions

As 62 of Lambeth’s most vulnerable residents prepare to be left out in the cold on Monday, politicians’ attitude towards homelessness has never been more clear.

Aves Housing receives funding from the Government – streamlined through Lambeth council – which is paid to private landlords to house homeless and high-risk residents.

Many residents were referred to the organisation by Lambeth council.

But in May Lambeth decided to block Government funding to the organisation claiming it only provides “minimum support”.

The catastrophic consequences of throwing domestic abuse survivors, those trying to pull their lives together after prison sentences, and people struggling with severe mental health issues, onto the street in the middle of winter seem to have escaped the local authority.

The decision has exposed just how detached politics has become, lacking empathy and understanding for the reality so many on the poverty line face.

This detachment is understood well by those who face its consequences.

One young woman – who was homeless since 13 before finding refuge with Aves Housing – said: “The council are not trying to solve homelessness. They are displacing us to hide the problem and cutting off our resources. They are making us more vulnerable.

“Volunteers from Aves Housing come with us to the council to dispute its decision because we are ignored when we go by ourselves.”

Councils are crippled by years of austerity –  the Local Government Association estimates a cash shortfall of £4billion over the last two years – and a chronic shortage of staff.

There are major failures in management at local levels that cannot be ignored. For Lambeth this is most stark in its housing sector.

Last year Lambeth became the first council in the country to be inspected in-person by the Housing Ombudsman, this followed the shocking revelation that the council spent more than £1.8million – between 2019 and 2023 – on confidentiality agreements to stop leaseholders sharing information.

Councils have been left in this dire situation by the Government, but ignoring desperate calls for help from its constituents and punishing organisations vitally needed to combat homelessness is not a solution.

Pictured top: Lambeth Town Hall (Picture: Google Street View)