Sir Sadiq Khan has announced a £10m funding package for London’s rough sleeping services in a bid to combat the capital’s crisis of street homelessness.
The mayor’s latest funding boost is said to be the largest single investment towards tackling the issue in City Hall’s 25-year history.
The latest data shows that in the three months from July to September of last year, a total of 4,780 people were recorded sleeping rough by outreach teams - an 18 per cent rise on the same period in 2023. It is the latest in a series of records set in the statistics over the last couple of years.
Sir Sadiq promised in his re-election manifesto last year to “end rough sleeping for good by 2030 in partnership with a Labour government”.
But only a few months after the election of that Labour government, the mayor warned that rough sleeping would in fact “get worse before it gets better” - a warning he repeated this week.
Sir Sadiq has blamed the worsening crisis on “the legacy of years of underinvestment from the previous Government in housing and support”. His critics argue that he is failing to get a grip of the capital’s housing crisis, and point out that his current Affordable Housing Programme has almost completely stalled.
The new funding will be used to create an expanded network of ‘Ending Homelessness Hubs’. These are safe places for people sleeping rough for the first time to be assessed by professional teams, so that plans can be made to support them off the streets in the long-term.
According to the mayor’s team, the hubs will build on the work of his ‘No Second Night Out’ (NSNO) services, through which charity partner St Mungo’s delivers 24/7 specialist care and support for Londoners sleeping rough. This work includes round-the-clock support in reconnecting people with their families and friends, advice on what financial support they may be entitled to, helping to secure onward move-on accommodation, and mental health support.
Sir Sadiq said: “I’m committed to putting London on a pathway to ending rough sleeping for good, which is why today I’m delivering an additional £10m in funding – the biggest ever single investment – to help more Londoners build their lives away from the streets.
“Tackling the capital’s rough sleeping crisis won’t be easy, and the reality is that things will sadly get worse before they get better – but I’m confident it can be done with strong leadership and a clear vision for how to get there, backed by Government and wider society.
“My Plan of Action on rough sleeping, due to be published this spring, will build on the huge amount of work we’ve done over the years to tackle this vital issue. Taking a stronger focus on prevention as well as cure will help to build a better, fairer London for everyone.”
Emma Haddad, CEO of St Mungo’s, said: “With the capital seeing some of the highest rates of people rough sleeping, we welcome the Mayor of London’s focus on preventing homelessness.
“The NSNO hubs funded by the mayor and run by St Mungo’s have already made a huge difference in helping people off the streets; the reality is that without somewhere safe and warm to stay for the night, it’s not only life chances that are reduced, but life expectancy as well. This announcement however illustrates that more can be done to address the root causes of homelessness.
“This investment in new hubs will help us be there for people before they end up sleeping rough. Shifting the dial to prevention brings us closer to our goal of ending homelessness for good, meaning fewer people relying on emergency accommodation in an already creaking housing system.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the mayor to turn the tide on homelessness and rough sleeping. Over the coming year, we know that there is a lot we can achieve together.”
