Camden Council is set to buy back 280 homes to provide housing for homeless families in the borough, as part of its new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy for 2025-2030. The number of households in temporary accommodation has increased to 1,221 in 2025, an increase from 498 in 2019.

The strategy, which was developed following a 14-week public consultation, aims to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurrent in Camden.

The plan focuses on four key priorities:

  • Preventing homelessness and rough sleeping
  • Providing easy-to-access, person-centred services
  • Securing more long-term, affordable housing
  • Campaigning for change nationally

Over the next five years, the council plans to:

  • Buy back an estimated 280 family-sized homes, with 26 already purchased.
  • Review Camden's Allocation Scheme, the Homeless Young Persons Protocol, Camden's Intermediate Housing Strategy and the Housing Renewal Assistance Policy.
  • Expand Camden's Housing First programme.

The report detailed new planned initiatives including reviews of Camden's Allocation Scheme, the Homeless Young Persons Protocol, Camden's Intermediate Housing Strategy and the Housing Renewal Assistance Policy.

The council spent £39 million on homelessness and rough sleeping services in 2024/25, according to the Response to the Homelessness Scrutiny Panel Recommendations Nov 25 report. There were 1,221 households in temporary accommodation in 2025, according to the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy report.

The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy report stated that producing a Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy is a statutory requirement for local authorities, reiterated in guidance provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government following the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.