The Mayor of London announces further £2m funding for vital rough sleeping services in London

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has committed to helping a further 500 people off the streets by pledging an extra £2m to support charities and support services for rough sleeping Londoners.

Sadiq has made tackling rough sleeping a personal priority for his Mayoralty and since 2016, more than 13,500 people have been helped off the streets by City Hall commissioned services.

However, the latest figures from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) show that rough sleeping in London has increased by a staggering 21 per cent year on year.

Charities and campaigners have attributed much of this rise to the current cost of living crisis, London’s housing crisis and a lack of Government support. Therefore, the Mayor is once again stepping up to increase the level of support available to those sleeping rough.

Charity partners, including St Mungo’s and Thames Reach will receive funding to deliver a range of support including:

Ending rough sleeping for up to 500 people through the provision of urgent accommodation and dedicated support to find long-term routes out of homelessness. Expanding the Mayor’s efforts to support those sleeping rough on London’s transport network, with increased outreach on London’s night buses and the night tube.

Extra funding for the StreetLink and Clearing House services to support their vital work identifying people sleeping rough and bringing them in to support services.

The announcement comes as the Mayor visits the pan-London Youth Homelessness Accommodation Hub in Islington, after securing up to three years of further funding for the service from the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Communities (DLUHC).

The Hub accommodates up to 26 young people aged 18-24 in short-stay accommodation, during which time they will receive personalised, holistic support from charity partners Depaul and New Horizon Youth Centre to prepare them for independent living and to re-establish their lives away from homelessness.

The Mayor is doing all that he can to protect Londoners from the threat of homelessness, including spending more than £80m this year to help those struggling with the cost of living and using money raised through his 2022 Winter rough sleeping campaign to fund London youth rough sleeping services.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Whilst I’m extremely proud of the huge progress City Hall has made so far helping people sleeping rough off our streets, there is still a long way to go to end homelessness in the capital for good. This is a cause I strongly believe in, which is why I’m awarding a further £2m to continue the important and transformative work that St Mungo’s and Thames Reach provide on a daily basis.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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