It will come as no surprise to anyone that there have been tensions about how the immense problems of homelessness in Northampton should be tackled. In the face of a steadily rising community of rough sleepers and other homeless people – rough sleepers are just the very tip of the mountain of homelessness – agencies have not always seen eye-to-eye and frustrations have been apparent. None of this helps address the issues.
For this reason Hope, along with the Borough Council and Fr Oliver Coss representing faith persepctives on homelessness, has been working to identify a new way forward, with support from the government’s rough sleeper team and the national charity Homeless Link, to establish a new, truly partnership approach to this issue, where there is respect and co-ownership at the centre. Our shared vision, and the practical ways this is being developed, can be read in the joint statement below.
