Building power around temporary accommodation and economic justice
South West London Law Centres is relaunching and expanding our community action work, bringing people together to challenge the housing and economic systems that are leaving too many people in crisis.
Across South West London, many families and individuals are being forced to live in temporary accommodation for months or years at a time. Too often, this means living in places that are overcrowded, unsuitable, far from schools, work and support networks, or lacking the basic conditions people need to live safely and with dignity.
We believe this should not be accepted as normal.
Our Temporary Accommodation Campaign brings residents together to share their experiences, support each other and push for change. This work is led by the people most affected by temporary accommodation, because those living through the system know better than anyone what needs to change.
What happens at the action meetings?
Our action meetings are welcoming, informal spaces where people living in temporary accommodation can come together, share food, talk about their experiences and decide what action they want to take.
At the meetings, residents can:
- meet others going through similar experiences
- share what is happening in their accommodation
- build confidence and support each other
- help shape local campaigns and demands
- influence formal town hall meetings and wider political conversations
- connect with SWLLC staff and community partners where possible
Children and babies are welcome. We provide food and drink for attendees and their children. We can also cover travel costs so people are able to attend.
Expanding the campaign
We are now relaunching and expanding our Temporary Accommodation Campaign across Wandsworth, Merton and Croydon.
The monthly action meetings will feed into quarterly formal town hall meetings, where residents, community organisations, decision-makers and local representatives can come together to hear directly from people with lived experience and discuss practical solutions.
Through this work, we will continue to influence local councils, London-wide policy and national conversations about housing, homelessness and temporary accommodation.
Local action groups
Our community action groups are open to people living in temporary accommodation in the borough, as well as people who have been placed there by another council.
Wandsworth
Our Wandsworth action meetings take place at Home Cafe, within St Andrew’s Church, Garratt Lane, SW18 4SR.
Merton
Our Merton action meetings take place at Commonside Trust, New Horizon Centre, Mitcham, CR4 1LT.
Croydon
Our Croydon action meetings take place at South Norwood Community Kitchen, 44b Portland Road, SE25 4PQ.
Economic justice: tackling the causes of crisis
Alongside our temporary accommodation work, we are also inviting people to get involved in our economic justice work.
Many of the problems people come to us with are connected: high rents, rising bills, low wages, debt, benefit problems and insecure housing all feed into one another. Our new economic justice approach means we do not only respond to the problems caused by poverty and financial hardship. We also want to challenge the reasons why so many people are being pushed into debt, hardship and crisis in the first place.
By bringing people together, we can make sure that the voices of those most affected are heard clearly and powerfully.
Get involved
If you live in temporary accommodation in Wandsworth, Merton or Croydon, or if you have been placed in one of these boroughs by another council, we would love to hear from you.
If you are affected by debt, hardship, high housing costs, rising bills or economic injustice, we would also like to speak with you about how you can get involved in our economic justice work in a way that feels right for you.
To get involved, please email community@swllc.org or call 0208 208 5757.