Council agrees to open homelessness hub in Tottenham

Parts of Marcus Garvey Library and Tottenham Green Leisure Centre will be used to accommodate the new facility, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

A new ‘Homelessness Prevention Hub’ is set to open in Tottenham following a decision by Haringey Council.

The hub, which will cost an estimated £338,000 to set up, will be based in the customer services space at Marcus Garvey Library, with a back office in Tottenham Green Leisure Centre.

It is also projected to cost the council almost a quarter-of-a-million pounds per year in lost income due to the loss of rentable space that would otherwise likely have been used to extend the leisure centre’s gym.

Haringey Council says it is obligated to create this facility in line with government guidelines, which require local authorities “to provide at least one face-to-face interview for homelessness assessments in most circumstances”.

This is something they say they cannot do currently with their existing service based in the reception of the council building in 48 Station Road, Wood Green.

Analysis by homelessness charity Shelter in December 2025 found more than half of England’s homeless population were living in London. Shelter described the overall homeless total in England of 380,000 as a “shocking” 8% increase on the previous year.

The space at Tottenham Green Leisure Centre was identified by Haringey Council as “the most viable, cost-effective and practical option,” in part due to the service being in highest need from the east of the borough.

The council also concluded that the nearby parking space available offers a “significantly better experience” for service users who might have belongings with them in a car.

Other options were discounted “based on their location, insufficient space to accommodate the hub, or where building works were deemed excessively costly or disruptive”.

The decision was yesterday (Monday 9th) given the green light by Sarah Williams, cabinet member for housing and planning and deputy leader of the Labour-run council.

The Friends of Marcus Garvey local group was invited to discuss the plans with council officers in November last year where, according to Haringey Council, questions and concerns “were responded to as comprehensively as possible”.

The council is yet to publish details of the expected opening date for the Homelessness Prevention Hub. The Local Democracy Reporting Service has asked the council to confirm these details but, at the time of publication, no response has been provided.

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