Even one person sleeping rough is too many – but London is stepping up

Rough sleeping isn’t inevitable. Our capital is leading the way with new services that really make a difference, writes the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan

In one of the richest countries in the world, there’s simply no excuse for people sleeping rough (PA)

As a Londoner, I’m deeply saddened whenever I see people sleeping rough on our streets and tackling this issue has always been a personal priority for me. New figures released today show that the hard work we’ve been putting in since I became mayor, alongside London’s fantastic charities and councils, is paying off.

According to government statistics, the number of people sleeping rough on London’s streets has fallen by 10 per cent in the last year, and halved over the last three years. Here in London, the fall in the number of people sleeping rough over that period is greater than in any other region of the country.

Even one person sleeping on the streets is one too many, but the lesson from London is that homelessness and rough sleeping isn’t inevitable where there’s the political will to tackle it.

My predecessor as mayor pledged to end rough sleeping in the capital. But the reality was that the number of people sleeping on London’s streets more than doubled between 2010 and when I became Mayor in 2016.

Since then, I’ve been determined to do things differently and match words with action. In fact, I’ve made it my mission to ensure those without a roof over their heads get the support and services they need, and since I was elected, City Hall has helped 12,000 rough sleepers off our streets. My pioneering “In for Good” principle has meant that, following our intervention, more than 80 per cent of those we’ve supported weren’t seen sleeping rough again.

We’ve also sponsored new and groundbreaking services like our rapid response outreach team and set a new threshold for opening council emergency accommodation, so it’s available for the most vulnerable in our city when temperatures fall below freezing.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit two years ago, I’m proud that London stepped up with a world-leading response. We acted swiftly to get rough sleepers off the streets and into Covid-safe hotels. Over the course of the pandemic, more than 2,500 rough sleepers were helped into City Hall-provided accommodation. It was our city’s rapid action, working alongside councils and charities that saved lives, and pushed the central government into action.

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However, there can be no complacency, and if we’re to build on the progress we’ve seen in recent years, we will need much more from ministers too. Rough sleeping rose at an alarming rate after 2010 because of government policy decisions. After a decade of austerity, cuts to social security benefits, a hostile immigration system and a longstanding housing crisis, it has become much easier for people to end up on our streets and much harder for them to find a way off them again.

There’s a particular gap in support for homeless non-UK nationals, which remains a test of the government’s resolve to help everyone who is currently on our streets. If ministers are serious about ending rough sleeping, then we need them to step up as a matter of urgency.

Our record in London shows what can be achieved if they do. In one of the richest countries in the world, there’s simply no excuse for people sleeping rough. Let’s end it for good.

Sadiq Khan is the mayor of London