Mickey Ambrose has been observing the experience of Newham’s rough sleepers. In an open letter to political parties and candidates in the upcoming general election, he asks what will you do, and urgently, to deal with Newham’s number one crisis – housing and homelessness.

Cardboard boxes in front of a cafe — Photo: Mickey Ambrose

Dear Friends,

I read the Summary of Newham’s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy three times and the five principles adopted by the Council.

Newham Voices readers would like to know what response the Mayor and Council received from the government when they raised the five action points needed.

Newham has the highest rate of homelessness of any local authority in England It is estimated that one in 22 people in Newham are currently homeless, living in temporary accommodation or on the street.

Low incomes and high housing costs are important factors driving the high rate of homelessness in Newham, where two in five people are living in poverty.

One in three Newham residents live in the private rented sector, where in the last ten years rents have increased by 55 percent, while wages have only risen by 37 percent since 2019.

It is pleasing to see that Newham has achieved the greatest proportionate reduction in rough sleeping numbers of any local authority in the country, but there is still more work to be done wouldn’t you say?

Like so many Newham Voices readers I pass through Stratford Underground Station a lot and see vulnerable human beings sleeping in make-shift cardboard boxes they call home in all weathers.

I alerted the Street Link hotline twice using the online reporting system. One vulnerable person I talked to told me he has been in London for 13 years and sleeping rough for five. I offered to buy him some food from Pret and he accepted, he wants to get off the streets but can’t. He said Street link does see him, but nothing ever comes from the conversation, he claims.

So, if this is the case why hasn’t the Homelessness Reduction Act come into force?

The Mayor says she will continue to invest in rough sleeping intelligence and data gathering to ensure Council interventions match each person’s specific needs and situation.

Well, over the last seven months I have gathered intelligence with photographic evidence with the same people camped out, at Stratford Underground Station main entrance.

There is a desperate need for a viable strategy to finally eliminate rough sleeping outside Stratford Station, Wilko and other parts of the Borough.

There are, across Newham, hundreds of people working with dozens of community, voluntary and faith groups providing vital support through food banks, and emergency accommodation.

But it’s not enough. Is it? For years the authorities have relied on the goodwill, charity and hard work of residents and community leaders to help paper over the cracks of a broken system, but the crisis has not gone away. It’s getting worse.

What do you propose to do? What are the emergency solutions and will you be ready to work together to create sustainable and long-term answers that will give the homeless of Newham hope for the future?

Yours, Mickey Ambrose

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