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Mayor invests £20m to tackle rough sleeping across London

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is investing an additional £20.2m into his programme designed to tackle homelessness.

More than three-quarters of the funding (£17.27m) will be used to deliver the Mayor’s No Second Night Out (NSNO) service from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2027, with the possibility of extending the service for up to a further two years.

The NSNO service supports people who are seen sleeping rough for the first time, assessing each person’s individual situation and providing tailored support based on their unique circumstances and needs to deliver a route off the streets. In 2022-23 the service supported 1887 people, 87% of whom did not return to sleeping rough.

The remaining £2.75m funding will go towards other vservices, including setting up a new shelter for embers of the LGBTQ+ community sleeping rough.

Sadiq Khan, The Mayor of London, said: “The most recent figures for rough sleeping in London are deeply alarming. The cost-of-living crisis is putting more and more Londoners at risk of losing their homes and ending up with nowhere to go.

“That’s why I’m delivering an additional £20m in funding to expand my Life off the Streets Programme. From emergency accommodation, to outreach and training, this new funding will boost pan-London support services and help ensure that those sleeping rough can access the vital help they need quicker, and leave the streets for good.”

“It is one of my top priorities as Mayor is to end rough sleeping in the capital for good, and create a better, fairer London for all.”

The remaining £2.75m funding will go towards other pan-London rough sleeping services, including:

  • The Mayor’s Rapid Response Street Outreach Team, elements of which will be delivered in partnership with TfL ensuring people sleeping rough on the transport network are found more quickly and are offered accommodation
  • Increased off-the-streets accommodation and emergency winter provision to safeguard those sleeping rough from cold weather this winter
  • StreetLink, enabling the service to continue working across London and providing a triage phoneline for those who are new to the streets
  • A shelter for members of the LGBTIQA+ community who are sleeping rough
  • A training programme to upskill the homelessness and migrant sectors to better support non-UK nationals sleeping rough in London
  • Veterans Aid’s Welfare to Wellbeing programme, ensuring that any UK veteran has an immediate route off the streets
  • Groundswell’s Homeless Health Peer Advocacy service, enabling people sleeping rough to address their health issues
  • The Enabling Assessment Service London (EASL), helping people with mental health support needs who are sleeping rough to access the treatment they need

The Mayor’s increased investment into tackling rough sleeping comes as the latest Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) annual report reveals a 21% rise in rough sleeping in the capital amidst the cost-of-living crisis.

A total of 10,053 people were seen sleeping rough in London during 2022-23 – of which 64% were reported to be new to the streets – up from 8,329 the previous year.

According to the CHAIN report, more than 20% of people who slept rough for the first time in London had been evicted from their property, and almost two-thirds of people had been living in some form of long-term accommodation immediately prior to sleeping rough.

The proportion of people sleeping rough who have no significant support needs has also increased substantially, with 28% in 2022/23 having no reported support needs, compared to 20% in 2018/19 – indicating many more people are sleeping rough for reasons relating to arrears and other financial problems.

Catherine Parsons, director of operations at Thames Reach, said: “The cost-of-living crisis, alongside other factors, have led to a sharp increase in the numbers of people sleeping rough on London’s streets, so we welcome the commitment of this additional funding which will help Thames Reach’s outreach workers to provide an immediate offer of accommodation to the people they meet.

“As we recruit staff to a range of roles to meet increased demand, we look forward to joining other organisations at the upcoming career fair to discuss how people can join us in our work ending rough sleeping.”

At £36.3m, the rough sleeping budget in 2023/24 is now more than four times the £8.45m a year it was when Sadiq Khan took office. This includes £12.1m of City Hall funding and £23.5m secured from the Government.

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