King's College London

Earlier this month, the High Court granted permission for a judicial review of Croydon Council’s decision to close its walk-in homelessness service. The only way to access homelessness advice and help following the closure is by phone or online appointment.

The judicial review application was brought by the Public Interest Law Centre, on behalf of their client, who is unable to use the telephone for extended periods of time due to a learning disability. He is also unable to use the online service to make his homeless application to the council.

Research published by King’s Legal Clinic and The Policy Institute in October 2025, which formed part of the application, found that the closure of in-person services is creating significant barriers to those trying to access homelessness support. Those without access to a phone or the internet, as well as those who struggle to complete complex applications, cannot access the support they need.

It was also found that this lack of access was one of the reasons why hospitals in London were seeing more patients who were experiencing homelessness, some with the main goal of finding housing support.

The ‘Closed Doors’ report put forward four key recommendations:

• Reintroduce face-to-face appointments for homeless applications

• Set clear timeframes for local authorities to respond to emails and phone calls

• Create dedicated communications channels and referral pathways between local authorities and hospitals

• Review hospital discharge policies to address bed blocking and street discharges

More information about the research can be found here. Find out more about the judicial review via the Public Interest Law Centre website.