Moving From The Streets Onto The Road To Recovery

Millions of pounds are being invested in Camden in a bid to make homelessness a thing of the past. A government grant of £19.4million has bankrolled the council’s new Pathways scheme, which was officially launched this week.

Help will be available for more than 1,000 people at a time – at an average of £19,000 per person – supporting them to move from the streets to an independent life. Those in need will be accommodated in newly refurbished hostels where they will be helped to kick bad habits, taught key skills and given advice on finding work and education.

“We are not giving up on anyone unfortunate enough to have found themselves on the streets,” said deputy director of housing and adult social care, Michael Scorer. “We have in mind their whole journey from being on the streets to living independently once more.”

Homeless people can find a bed at a hostel while assessments are carried out on their condition. They then progress through the Pathways system on the road to recovery.

Mr Scorer said carrot and stick tactics will be used to get people off drink and drugs and underlying problems which may have led to their addictions will be addressed. Incentives of better hostel accommodation will also be offered along the way, with the most improved individuals ending up in one of three super-hostels.

The first of these to have been refurbished is Cambria House in Hunter Street, King’s Cross. After £5million investment, there are now 48 ensuite rooms and a range of lifeschool classes on offer.

Similar facilities, being run by the Salvation Army, are being set up at Arlington House in Camden Town and Endell Street in Covent Garden.

One former homeless man now at Cambria House, Cameron Buchanan, said the Pathways scheme saved his life. “When you get to the lowest of the low, you’ve got to decide: do you want to die or do you want to survive,” said the 55-year-old.

“I was on the streets for two years and it was tough and hard. It’s when you’re on the street that you realise what you are missing. But you can only get so far down and after that you’ve got to come back up. I’ve been at Cambria House for five weeks and it’s a really good place.”