In 2023/2024, 3310 households approached the Council presenting as homeless, new Government statistics have confirmed. In the previous year the figure was 2936, a rise of 12.7%
Except during Coronavirus, this is the highest number of homelessness approaches since the 2017 Homelessness Reduction Act which introduced a range of duties on local authorities to tackle homelessness.
Southwark’s statistics are some of the highest in London, with only Lambeth, Ealing, Haringey and Barnet seeing more approaches. It is the 15th highest in the country.
On World Homeless Day, Southwark Liberal Democrats say that these shocking statistics show how critical it is that the Labour Council and Government take the housing crisis seriously.
The data emerges after the Lib Dems revealed that new social housing starts had almost ground to a complete halt, and branded Southwark the empty homes capital after it emerged that it had more empty homes than the entire North West of England combined.
Commenting, Cllr Victor Chamberlain, Southwark Liberal Democrat Group Leader said:
“For homelessness to continue to get worse whilst thousands of homes stand empty is a shocking indictment of Labour’s failure to tackle the housing crisis locally.
It only underlines how crucial it is that the new Government grabs this problem by the thorns and introduces the radical measures we need to ensure everyone has a safe, secure, and affordable place to call home.
Unfortunately, Southwark Labour are continuing to stick their head in the sand and congratulate themselves over a record that is nothing but shameful”.
