London councils secure £3m funding to tackle capital's rough sleeping crisis

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London's councils have been allocated £3m to help address the rising issue of rough sleeping, providing essential support and shelter during the winter months.

London's councils are set to get a share of £2.7 million to help people sleeping on the capital's streets this winter.

Recent figures showed rough sleeping in London has reached a record high in the first few months of the Labour Government.

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A total of 4,780 people were recorded as street homeless in the capital between July and September this year, a rise of 18 per cent compared with the same period last year. It is the latest in a series of records set in the statistics over the last couple of years, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A rough sleeper lies on a suitcase in front of an advertisement board showing the Houses of Parliament in central LondonA rough sleeper lies on a suitcase in front of an advertisement board showing the Houses of Parliament in central London
A rough sleeper lies on a suitcase in front of an advertisement board showing the Houses of Parliament in central London | AFP via Getty Images

The new data, published by London’s Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN), found that of that number, almost half – 2,343 – were sleeping rough for the first time. However, many of those people – a total of 1,796 – spent only one night sleeping rough.

Last month, Sadiq Khan hosted an emergency summit on the topic at City Hall, at which he announced a £4.8m investment to provide advice and support to previous rough sleepers, in the hope of keeping them off the streets.

Now the new Labour government has announced an emergency £10 million fund to protect rough sleepers from cold weather this winter.

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The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the funding boost will save lives by ensuring rough sleepers have access to a safe and warm bed - with 155 people dying last year sleeping rough on the country's streets.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “Anyone forced to sleep rough on our streets represents a complete failure of the broken system we’ve inherited. It’s a national disgrace, and we can’t keep sticking plasters on it.

“We are approaching the harshest months of the year which is why we are taking immediate action to reach anyone sleeping rough and help them off the streets this winter."

The department added that the measures come alongside the government reinvesting in the NHS, increasing wages for the lowest earners and building an economy that will grow "to create opportunity for all".

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Rough sleepers said the noise from passers-by can become unbearableRough sleepers said the noise from passers-by can become unbearable
Rough sleepers said the noise from passers-by can become unbearable | Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon/LDRS

According to the latest figures, just under half of those sleeping rough in London (49.4 per cent) were UK nationals. The second most common nationality were Romanians, making up 8.1 per cent of the total, followed by Polish people, who comprised 5.2 per cent.

Matt Downie, chief executive at the charity Crisis, called the system awful and broken, adding: “It’s shameful that so many people are being forced to sleep rough, taking refuge in doorways and seeking safety on night buses. No one should be forced to live permanently on the streets, or to spend even one night in such a desperate, dangerous situation."

Glass Door Homeless Charity has already opened its own emergency winter night shelters.

The shelters, which will stay open until April, are the largest network of their kind in London, with the charity saying they will provide a safe place for up to 105 people to sleep each night during the coldest months of the year.

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