Mayor invests further £20m to tackle rough sleeping across London

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is investing an additional £20.2m into his flagship Life off the Streets Programme as part of his continued efforts to help people sleeping rough in London rebuild their lives.

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, a key part of the Mayor’s Life off the Streets Programme, supports people who are seen sleeping rough for the first time. The service assesses each person’s individual situation and provides tailored support based on their unique circumstances and needs to deliver a sustainable route off the streets. In 2022-23 the service supported 1887 people, 87 per cent of whom did not return to sleeping rough.

Extraordinary financial pressures are putting the poorest Londoners at growing risk of homelessness and the Mayor continues to urge the Government to do much more to prevent the steady flow of new people coming onto the streets.

In particular, he wants to see the Government put more robust measures in place to tackle the unprecedented cost-of living-crisis, provide further assistance for those with drug and alcohol dependency and restore the social security safety net which helps stop people become trapped in a cycle of homelessness. He also called for the end to no-fault evictions for private renters and investment in new council and affordable homes.

The Mayor’s increased investment into tackling rough sleeping comes as the latest Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) annual report reveals a 21 per cent 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 per cent were reported to be new to the streets up from 8,329 the previous year.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, 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.”

Since taking office, the Mayor has rapidly expanded the number of pan-London rough sleeping services that City Hall funds and commissions. Since 2016, the Mayor’s Rough Sleeping Programme has supported over 15,500 people to leave the streets for good, alleviating the suffering and indignity associated with rough sleeping.

However, the Mayor’s pioneering ‘In for Good’ principle meant that, following intervention from City Hall-funded services, more than 75 per cent of those who received support were not seen sleeping rough again.

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. “

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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