Highest number of rough sleepers in London ever recorded

Rough sleeping in London reached its previous peak of 4,227 between April and June 2020, as people stopped sofa-surfing and lost accommodation tied to hospitality jobs during the first coronavirus lockdown.

Homelessness charities also expressed concern at the “disproportionate increase” in the number of Eritrean and Sudanese people sleeping rough in London, following attempts by the Home Office to speed up the asylum claims process.

Fiona Colley, director of social change at Homeless Link, said the figures were a “disaster” that “must be addressed immediately”.

“Without delivering the investment and policy changes needed to ensure adequate homelessness prevention and the support to help people off the streets, we risk allowing soaring rough sleeping to become the norm in the capital,” she added.

John Glenton, executive director of care and support at Riverside, said the latest year-on-year increases amounted to “a growing humanitarian crisis on the streets of our capital”.

He added: “Our deep concern here is that we have not reached the peak of this crisis and providers are also reporting unprecedented demand on their services in January.”

Meanwhile, he continued, local authorities are being forced to cut homelessness budgets and essential services to stay afloat.

“It does not look likely that the government can end rough sleeping during this parliament,” he added.

Charity St Mungo’s called for emergency support to be introduced until Local Housing Allowance rates are unfrozen in April. Funding for the Rough Sleeping Initiative should also be extended, it said, as this is due to end in a year’s time.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said he is “determined to do everything” he can to tackle rough sleeping in the capital. He said 1,200 rough sleepers were helped into emergency accommodation during severe winter weather in January. 

A total of 19% of those who made use of the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) had been recently evicted from Home Office accommodation, Mr Khan said.

A new west London hub for the mayor’s No Second Night Out initiative will open in April to provide beds and assessment spaces for rough sleepers, he added.

It is part of a £17m, three-year investment into No Second Night Out services, which will be run by St Mungo’s and help around 2,000 people a year.

Mr Khan said: “The government’s continued hostile approach to refugees has meant that hundreds of people are becoming homeless or sleeping rough on our streets.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “This government has made the unprecedented commitment to end rough sleeping, and we have given London boroughs over £191m through the Rough Sleeping Initiative programme to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.

“Councils and the Greater London Authority can use the money to fund specialist outreach teams to help get people off the streets and into safe accommodation, as well as providing long term housing and support services for mental health and drug misuse.”