A respected expert on the issue, says London is better than most North American cities when it comes to battling urban camping or rough sleeping.
Iain De Jong spoke at a city sponsored training session looking at how best to approach and support those who turn away from shelters, due to behaviour or addiction issues.
De Jong offered new ways to respond to the needs of the homeless, but also stated London is on the right track. For instance, he says the coordinated dialogue between more than a dozen agencies is a good start. Those agencies include not just social work, but police and city by-law enforcement officers.
Jan Richardson, the city’s Strategic Initiatives Manager, says communication between the agencies has been improved by a data-base of at risk individuals that all can access. The information helps outreach workers on the street identify and locate urban campers.
But still urban encampments persist, creating enforcement concerns, and more importantly, a human crisis.
“I personally don’t think it’s OK that people are in tents. There is no running water there’s no toilets is no refrigeration”, Richardson says.
A recent survey found 71% of those living outside in London are male, And 29% female. 94% battle with addictions.
