Homelessness is looming large as an election issue in Croydon Central as figures reveal that Croydon has the second highest number of rough sleepers in London – as the Minister for Housing seeks to defend his seat there.
Gavin Barwell, who has been the Conservative MP for Croydon Central since 2010 and was appointed as the Minister for Housing and Planning last July, is standing for re-election.
Figures released in January by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), of which Mr Barwell is the Minister for London, showed that Croydon also had the seventh highest number of rough sleepers in the country in 2016, with 68.
As the election draws near, housing is a pressing issue for Croydon residents and this number of rough sleepers in the area is a cause for concern for Mr Barwell.
He said: “There should be a real sense of moral shame about people sleeping rough.
“Even one person sleeping on the street is too many.”
Mr Barwell believes his position as Minister for Housing puts him in a better stead to help Croydon as he now has the power to push legislation through, rather than simply lobbying as a backbencher.
Westminster topped the DCLG list at 260 rough sleepers, followed by Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Cornwall, Luton, Manchester and then Croydon.
Each candidate seeks to alleviate the strife of Croydon’s homeless by putting housing high on their agenda and the recently passed Homeless Reduction Act will provide extra funding for building new homes and fresh incentives to utilise empty residences.
Mr Barwell said: “The number of empty homes are at a record low in this country at the moment, but there are still a lot of them.
“Given the scale of the crisis we face in this country, we need to try and do everything we can to get empty homes back into use.”
Problems including drug addiction can lead to some people becoming homeless but the reasons for the majority are much more complex than that.
The ending of Assured Shorthold Tenancies, which is a tenancy that can be ended by the landlord after an agreed term with notice given, are believed to be a driving force behind new homelessness.
Jad Adams, chair of the homeless charity Croydon Nightwatch, thinks the prospect of selling empty properties for profit or renovating to rent to wealthier tenants is causing some landlords to end tenancies of people who have a good record.
Mr Adams said: “All candidates should address the human misery and social cost of homelessness.
“They must focus on the most efficient and speedy provision of reasonable quality and affordable homes to rent.”
Some of the things Mr Adams wants are a return of rent controls and the prevention of ‘no fault’ evictions, and bringing existing buildings into use for renting.
A street count in October last year showed that 59 people were found to be sleeping rough in Croydon on the night it was taken.
Croydon Nightwatch volunteers go out to The Queen’s Gardens every evening to help and advise those who are sleeping rough.
Chipo Nyamukorosu, 27, has been homeless for three months after losing her council accommodation and visits The Queen’s Gardens regularly, which are in view of the council offices across the road.
She said: “If you don’t own anything, people have power over you. “It takes the piss because you have got nowhere to go.”
Tracey Hague, Green candidate, believes that a multi-pronged approach is needed to tackle London’s complex housing crisis.
She said: “Having a roof over your head should be a basic human right for all. “It is shameful that we have the housing minister here but the housing inequality is growing.”