What a row over a tent village in London’s West End says about the homelessness crisis

Rising rough sleeping in England has made street homelessness a more visible issue in recent times and tent encampments have become commonplace in some of the country’s biggest cities.

The encampment at Adelphi Terrace beside the Grade-II listed Adelphi Theatre on the Strand in London has become one of the most notable.

It is earmarked for closure – Westminster City Council told Big Issue it is in the “process of gaining the necessary court order” citing safety fears for the 16 individuals living among the 30 tents.

Photographer Marc Davenant recently visited the encampment to capture the stories of the people who live at the camp. 

Davenant has captured portraits of people experiencing homelessness over the years as part of his Outsiders project. This includes Big Issue vendors, and it featured on the front of the magazine in 2022. It has toured the country in recent years.

He has called on MPs who have campaigned on homelessness, including Labour’s Paula Barker and Conservatives’ Bob Blackman, Westminster City Council and other leaders to ensure people who are set to be evicted gain support.

“It seems to me that it is an extraordinary situation that in the wealthiest borough, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, these people are struggling to survive against all the odds and not receiving the support needed to transition them out of homelessness and help them become productive members of society,” said Davenant in an open letter.

Davenant took portraits and captured the stories of some of the people living at the encampment during his visit.

He met people like Rafal, who has been living in the encampment for two months. A painter and decorator by trade, he became homeless after an industrial accident meant he could no longer work, leading to him being evicted.

Alex was released from prison with an £89 discharge grant and no support to get into housing – recent government statistics showed a 13.1% rise in households becoming homeless after leaving institutions such as hospitals or prisons in 2024-25.

Stuart told Davenant he has been homeless for six years after being failed by the care system and lost an eye to violence while on the street. The same statistics saw a rise in the number of care leavers, aged 18 to 20, facing homelessness, increasing from 4,310 to 4,610.

Read more:

• I was homeless on the streets of London. The public piano at St Pancras station saved me
• Councils are turning homeless young people away from support. Gatekeeping won’t end homelessness
• Homelessness stagnated in Labour’s first year – but ministers warned not to mistake it for progress

Louise and Joao with their dogs Simba, Bear and Lucky, as well as Bridget and her dogs Bruce and Bambi, all lost their homes to no-fault evictions. Bridget can’t face parting with her dogs to get a home. The Renters’ Rights Act is set to ban no-fault evictions and boost renters’ right to keep pets from May next year.

“There is a desperate need for a multidisciplinary intervention with this camp. If you bulldoze it you will break the bonds within the community and simply move the problem somewhere else,” said Davenant in his open letter. “It isn’t a solution to what has become a huge problem for society and is a test for your humanity as the people with the power to change things.

“I would urge you to look at them and consider how you would feel if they were members of your family who had fallen on hard times. I know that with a sweep of a pen you can simply have them moved on but would ask you to consider whether there is a different approach and who gains from simply sweeping these problems under the carpet.”

In response to Davenant, Westminster City Council leader Adam Hug said the council had helped 18 people from this site move into longer-term accommodation and the situation at the camp had become “untenable”.

“Our responsibility is to keep everyone safe and consider the impact the encampment is having, both on those living there and on the wider community nearby,” said councillor Hug.  “While we’ve provided substantial multi-agency support over many years, the situation at Adelphi Terrace has become increasingly challenging and further action must be taken.”

The situation at Adelphi Terrace is not unusual. While the row rumbled on, the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government published data that tracks rough sleeping over time.

It revealed that rough sleeping had hit a post-pandemic high. The 9,574 people counted as sleeping rough across England over the course of July 2025 represent an increase of 94% since July 2021, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) analysis found.

Matthew Torbitt, a senior fellow at CSJ, said: “These figures are a savage indictment if one was needed that we’re still failing too many people who are sleeping rough.”

The situation at Adelphi Terrace underlines the importance of the government’s upcoming long-term homelessness strategy to turn around the crisis and that, ultimately, safety comes with a secure home.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

Change a vendor’s life this Christmas.

Buy from your local Big Issue vendor every week – or support online with a vendor support kit or a subscription – and help people work their way out of poverty with dignity.