Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth

29/07/2026

Help us to end the inhumane private sector dischage policy for good!

We've just launched our open letter and pledge for local councils calling on them to immediately stop using private sector discharge against homeless people.

This policy causes social cleansing, creates a cycle of homelessness, and undermines homeless rights. On a daily basis across London, this policy is destroying lives and harming our communities.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be emailing our open letter and pledge to all London councils and asking them to sign up to it. You can read our open letter and pledge https://housingactionsouthwarkandlambeth.wordpress.com/2026/07/29/open-letter-to-london-councils-and-pledge-to-end-private-sector-discharge/

We're also inviting community groups and other grassroots groups to show your support for our pledge by adding your name to our 'list of supporters'.

If your community group would like to support our pledge, or you are emailing your local councillor about our pledge - please email us /cc us in haslcampaigns[at]gmail.com

We've got lots more planned for this important campaign, please stay in touch by joining our email list and following our social media. Let's make this a summer of housing action!

29/07/2026

Help us to end the inhumane private sector dischage policy for good! ✊

🚀We've just launched our open letter and pledge for local councils calling on them to immediately stop using private sector discharge against homeless people. 

This policy causes social cleansing, creates a cycle of homelessness, and undermines homeless rights. On a daily basis across London, this policy is destroying lives and harming our communities.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be emailing our open letter and pledge to all London councils and asking them to sign up to it. You can read our open letter and pledge in the link in our bio.

We're also inviting community groups and other grassroots groups to show your support our pledge by adding your name to our 'list of supporters'.

If your community group would like to support our pledge, or you are emailing your local councillor about our pledge - please email us /cc us in haslcampaigns[at]gmail.com

We've got lots more planned for this important campaign, please stay in touch by joining our email list and following our social media. Let's make this a summer of housing action! ✊♥️🏠

23/06/2026

We were in the High Court today for our member Carmen's judicial review against Southwark council's scam direct offer waiting list. On the hottest day of the year, our HASL organisers turned out to show their support both inside and outside the court!☀️✊️

Carmen's family live in statutory overcrowded private rented housing. The two youngest sons have severe autism meaning that the family have particularly high housing needs and qualify for a 5 bed social home. They have been trapped in this cramped, harmful housing for so many years. Due to her urgent housing situation, the council put Carmen on the direct offer waiting list for social housing but we got data revealing that she has been falling down the waiting list 😯Her lawyer pushed Southwark council for answers about this - and didn't get anything - so her case has gone to the High Court for this Judicial Review challenge.

Carmen has spoken powerfully about her situation in an article published in the Evening Standard - see link below

“I want to represent the voices of families and want to be heard. A lot of families are living in conditions similar to mine, and the council is playing with those families’ and our children’s futures,”

“A lot of families are going through difficult housing issues and really complicated health situations. The council knows about these issues, but they are avoiding them.”

Carmen's case is important for everyone - especially disabled families - because we need to know how the direct offer list is working.

Things shouldn't not be this way. And we know that there are so many other disabled families who are also facing this intolerable wait for a council home that meets their needs. That's why as HASL we continue to campaign for the high-quality, 3, 4, 5 bed council homes that our communities need and deserve

We should receive the decision on Carmen's case in the following weeks and we'll keep you updated!

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/southwark-council-housing-list-high-court-b1287106.html?shem=dsdf,sharefoc,agadiscoversdl,,sh/x/discover/m1/4

09/06/2026

The inhumane Private Sector Discharge Policy where local councils force homeless families to the north of England - under threat of destitution - was on the FRONT PAGE of the Guardian on Sunday, featuring a quote from HASL.

Private sector discharge is a deeply harmful and cruel policy and must be ended.

Now there are signs that the government may finally ban hyper-distance private sector discharge offers. But this is not enough - private sector discharge must go entirely!

Link in bio

08/06/2026

The inhumane Private Sector Discharge Policy where local councils force homeless families to the north of England - under threat of destitution - was on the FRONT PAGE of the Guardian yesterday, featuring a quote from HASL.

Private sector discharge is a deeply harmful and cruel policy and must be ended.

Exclusive: Practice that includes women fleeing abuse is ‘ripping at social fabric’ of towns in poorest parts of England

01/06/2026

📣 Write to the new Green-led Hackney council to tell them - Justice for Sonia! End hazardous overcrowding now! Use our quick online tool 📝

For almost 3 years, our member Sonia and her 2 kids have been living in temporary accommodation that is a category 1 hazard for overcrowding⚠️ From the very start, she has been fighting Hackney council just to get decent temporary accommodation for her kids. She's won 3 homeless appeals in court, but the fight continues as Hackney council use every trick in the book to refuse the family decent housing and undermine basic homeless rights😡

After enduring 3 years in 3 different hazardously overcrowded temporary accommodations, the family need local social housing now🏠 The new Green council must uphold basic homeless rights and make sure that no homeless families are trapped in hazardous temporary accommodation!

Please use our quick online letter writing tool to email Hackney council to demand justice for Sonia and an end to hazardous overcrowding!

📝https://actionnetwork.org/letters/hackney-council-justice-for-sonia-end-hazardous-overcrowding-now?source=direct_link&

20/05/2026

🗣️‘I was told I'm lucky I don’t sleep in the kitchen. But we have a fridge-freezer next to the bed’

For almost 3 years, our member Sonia and her 2 kids have been living in temporary accommodation that is a category 1 hazard for overcrowding. From the very start, she has been fighting Hackney council just to get decent temporary accommodation for her kids. She's won 3 homeless appeals, but the fight continues as Hackney council use every trick in the book to refuse the family decent housing and undermine basic homeless rights😡

After enduring 3 years in 3 different hazardously overcrowded temporary accommodations, the family need local social housing now🏠The new Green council must uphold basic homeless rights and make sure that no homeless families are trapped in hazardous temporary accommodation!

Read more about Sonia's ongoing campaign here and keep you eyes peeled for solidarity actions coming soon👀✊

https://www.bigissue.com/news/housing/mum-temporary-accommodation-unsuitable-one-year-on/

The photo below is Sonia and her friends in the HASL bloc on the National Housing March in April with a 'Stays for Social Housing' placard

25/04/2026

🗞Our latest newsletter is here with our protest report from last Saturday's National Housing Demo including some stunning photos 🤩read and share it here https://mailchi.mp/f2ee7edb3eea/southwark-residents-hasl-needs-you-2766?e=a1999c88fb

20/04/2026

Saturday saw the biggest housing protest in a decade with thousands of people taking to the streets of central London to demand mass investment in council housing to end the homeless crisis! 500 HASL members joined this historic housing protest making it our biggest HASL mobilisation ever! We made our demand for 3, 4, 5 bed family-sized council homes loud and clear. Thank you so much to all our HASL members and supporters who marched with us in our pink bloc on Saturday.

As well as our 500 HASL member strong bloc, we also had a record-breaking 4 pinatas, 10 kg of home-made biscuits, 150 home-made HASL birthday cupcakes (we are 13 years old this April), and 300 pink bandanas.

We're excited to have met new people and new groups at the National Housing Demonstration and to see how the housing movement is growing more powerful and organised by the day. We will keep on using all our tactics - including mutual support at our meetings, to legal action, to protests and campaigns - to fight for our homeless rights and the high-quality 3, 4, 5 bed council homes we need. We know that together we are stronger and we will win!

Photo credits
Photo 1 with big banner Peter Marshall
Photo 2 with smoke flare Guy Smallman
Photo 3 pinata Jess Hurd

20/04/2026

Some amazing photos of our incredible HASL members at the National Housing Demonstration!💪✊️❤️🏠

📸 photo credits

Photo 1 .smallman
Photos 2,3,4,5,6 Peter Marshall
Photo 7
Photo 8 Peter Marshall