The borough’s success in fighting lack of housing for residents places Islington in the top 5 per cent for addressing this issue across England.
“Homelessness is a system-made crisis,” said Councillor Hannah McHugh at Tuesday’s council meeting.
The council’s homelessness review found the average stay in temporary accommodation in Islington is around 10 to 11 months. This is much shorter than many neighbouring boroughs where families can remain in temporary accommodation for years, according to the report from this year’s Homelessness Scrutiny Review.
“Being in temporary accommodation is very unsettling. It makes it hard for people to keep their jobs, it’s hard for their kids to thrive in school,” Cllr Ruth Hayes said. “So that is a real achievement.”
The latest cut report was released with 21 recommendations on how the borough can continue to tackle rough sleeping and people living in temporary accommodation.
The main reason given in the report for the borough being asked to step in was to help people with re-homing this year was due to friends or family no longer being willing or able to accommodate their loved ones.
“One of the good scrutiny topics next year will be looking at what are the impacts of rising rents and the affordability issues discussed,” Cllr McHugh said. “I thought the discussion of antisocial behaviour is another fertile place to look.”
Some of the recommendations include focusing on housing specifically for women, helping stop the flow of people to temporary housing by assisting with hospital discharge options, and assisting people in the transition phase of leaving temporary housing.
The mixture of hidden disabilities, large family make-up, and location of choice that they can only live in because of safety will prolong that period of time in temporary accommodation
Ian Smith
“The mixture of hidden disabilities, large family make-up, and location of choice that they can only live in because of safety will prolong that period of time in temporary accommodation,” Ian Smith, director of housing operations and deputy corporate director for Islington, at the meeting.
The council aims to address the root causes of homelessness, by making sure housing allowance rates reflect local rent prices and enable the council to buy more properties in the neighbourhood for temporary accommodation.
The review panel highlighted that the main cause for lack of permanent housing in Islington is poverty. The council agreed it isn’t possible to tackle the underlying issues that lead to homelessness without changes in national government policy.
“Behind every number is a human being,” Mr. Swift said of all the families and individuals the council has aided this year.
Journalist & MA Newspaper Journalism candidate at City, St George’s University of London. After six years in Washington, D.C., I bring a U.S. regional perspective to national and international reporting. My writing spans politics, policy, global affairs, and social issues. I’m passionate about telling stories that cross borders and lift community voices that are often underrepresented in the global conversation.