New figures show halt in increase of rough sleepers in London

New figures released today by the Mayor of London show the rise of the number of rough sleepers on the streets of the capital has effectively halted for first time since 2009. 

Statistics show the number of people seen sleeping rough on the streets of London in 2016/2017 was 8,108 - virtually unchanged from 8,096 the previous year. This contrasts with a rise of seven per cent the year before – and a doubling over the period since in 2010/11, when the reported figure was 3,975.

The latest figures were gathered by the Combined Homelessness Information Network (CHAIN), which is commissioned and funded by the GLA and managed by St Mungo’s. CHAIN records the number of people seen by outreach workers bedded down on the street, or in places such as doorways, stairwells, parks, and derelict buildings.

The figures come after the Mayor's first year in office during which he set up the ‘No Nights Sleeping Rough’ taskforce - a group that brings together key partners to work together and identify what new interventions are needed to help rough sleepers, lobbying government for support where necessary. Last year, the taskforce helped secure an additional £4.2m toward new targeted services for rough sleepers, including a programme to ensure the most entrenched rough sleepers are identified and offered support.

The additional resources come on top of a commitment by the Mayor to spend £9m every year on rough sleeping services in London, and a £50m fund he announced at the end of last year to invest in accommodation for people who want to move on from hostels and refuges.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “It is shameful that the number of people sleeping rough on the streets of London doubled between 2010 and 2016. While I am encouraged to see the number has effectively halted for the first time since 2009, the fact remains that over 8,000 people seen sleeping rough in a global city as rich as London is unacceptable. A sharper focus on rough sleeping at City Hall is showing signs of progress, but these figures highlight just how much work needs to be done – clearly one person living rough on the streets of our great city is one too many.

“I have to be clear with Londoners that turning things round will not happen overnight. The investment we are making in new and improved services means the number of rough sleepers seen may in fact rise in the short term as more people engage with the support we are offering. But simply ignoring the problem and leaving people on the streets is morally unacceptable - we must all work together to tackle this enduring scar on our city.”

Bill Tidnam, Thames Reach Director of Operations, said: "Today's statistics, which show that the number of rough sleepers seen in London has not risen for the first time in many years, are very much to be welcomed.

"There is clearly still a huge amount to do though, particularly to address the number of entrenched rough sleepers, and so we will continue to work with the Mayor to develop new approaches to help people off the streets."

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Notes to editors:

Please find a link to the stats here: https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/chain-reports

Stats covering 2013/14 and earlier are available at: http://www.mungos.org/chain/street_home_annual_report

• The total number of rough sleepers seen rough sleeping in London in 2016/17 was 8,108. This compares to 8,096 the previous year. The figure reported in 2010/11 was of 3,975.
• The Mayor has set up the ‘No Nights Sleeping Rough’ taskforce - a London-wide taskforce to oversee the implementation of the Mayor’s rough sleeping work and funding priorities. Chaired by James Murray, the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, it brings together partners key to tackling rough sleeping in London (including boroughs, voluntary organisations and government).
• City Hall also invests £9m a year in a range of pan-London services for rough sleepers. Last year, the rough sleeping services commissioned by the Mayor supported more than 1,600 people off the streets and helped a further 1,600 people with a history of rough sleeping, who are at risk of losing their accommodation and returning to the streets, to stay in their homes. More information about those services can be found here: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/housing-and-land/homelessness/mayor%E2%80%99s-rough-sleeping-services
• Through his Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21, the Mayor has made available up to £50m of capital funding to provide accommodation for people ready to move on from hostels, so that this group can live more independently and spaces are made available for those newly in need.
• The ‘No Nights Sleeping Rough’ taskforce helped the Mayor secure £4.2m from the government to help rough sleepers. That includes: £2 million (alongside £1 million from City Hall) for a rough-sleeping Social Impact Bond – an innovative results-focussed way of helping more than 300 of London’s rough sleepers with the most complex needs, such as mental health issues and drug and alcohol problems; £1.875 million for a ‘Safe Connections’ project, to help people who have slept rough at least twice in the last three months; and £340,000 for a pan-London ‘Hostels Clearing House’ pilot, to help councils and the services they commission make optimum use of London’s hostel spaces for rough sleepers.