Rise in non-UK rough sleepers in London

Rough sleeping is on the rise in London with an alarming number of non-UK nationals among them.

• ·         In 2015/16, 59 per cent of London’s rough sleepers were not UK nationals.
• ·         In 2015/16, 74 per cent of London’s rough sleepers had support needs relating to mental health, alcohol or drugs.
• ·         In 2015/16, 32 per cent of those sleeping rough had been in prison, 10 per cent had been in care, and 8 per cent had been in the armed forces.^[1]

The problem continues despite more availability of first stage hostel beds, more funding and a number of other measures.

The London Assembly Housing Committee meets tomorrow to discuss the state of rough sleeping in London. Questions will include:

• ·         Why is there an increase in the number of people sleeping rough in the capital?
• ·         Why is the rate of non-UK nationals sleeping rough on the rise?
• ·         Why is the number of people returning to the streets increasing despite more availability in first stage hostel beds?
• ·         What are the implications of the proposed Homelessness Reduction Bill for local authorities?

The Committee will hear from the following guests:

• ·         Kath Dane, Commissioner for London Borough of Tower Hamlets
• ·         Dan Olney, Assistant Director of Pan London Street Homeless and Outreach Services
• ·         Jeremy Swain, Chief Executive, Thames Reach
• ·         David Eastwood, Services and Commissioning Manager, GLA

The meeting will take place on Tuesday 28 February from 10:00am in Committee Room 5 (The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA). 

Media and members of the public are invited to attend and the meeting can also be viewed via webcast or YouTube.

Follow us @LondonAssembly and take part in the meeting discussion using #AssemblyHousing and #RoughSleepingLDN

Notes for Editors:

1. CHAIN Annual Bulletin Greater London 2015/16
2. Full agenda papers.
3. London Assembly Housing Committee