THE criminal of homelessness in Camden will be the subject of a community meeting next Thursday evening.

Hosted by Streets Kitchen at St Michael’s Church, human rights organisation Liberty will speak about their legal challenge against the Met Police, which saw the commissioner apologise for using dispersal powers to temporarily ban a rough sleeper from sleeping outside University College London Hospital.

Lawyer Lana Amadou will share what Liberty has been up to since the case, its implications and discuss how community protection notices (CPNs) are used by the police to move rough sleepers. Streets Kitchen and Liberty will share how they can be challenged and how to “know your rights” as a bystander.

CPNs are designed to stop “antisocial behaviour”. They include a string of conditions that must be adhered to, including stopping someone from being in a certain area. Often, people don’t know how to appeal the notices and there is no legal aid for it. The New Journal has spoken to rough sleepers in the past whose conditions included not being seen with an empty cup, as this could mean they are begging.

We reported that police served 22 CPNs on rough sleepers in 2021 – half of those involved were arrested for being breached.

Elodie Berland, of Streets Kitchen, said: “It’s really scary because that was two years ago and the situation is still exactly the same. It is still happening an awful lot. We’e heard lots of reports of CPNs and people being moved on.”

On Saturday morning outreach, Streets Kitchen served breakfast to 110 people experiencing homelessness in Camden.

This “community response to homelessness” meeting is a follow-up to the event organised by the New Journal and Streets Kitchen in November last year. It will take place at St Michael’s Church on February 22 from 6-8pm. Everyone is invited.