ADD2562 - Peer-led outreach service

1.1. As a result of services such as the Mayor’s Rapid Response Team and No Second Night Out, 72 per cent of people sleeping rough in the capital are seen sleeping rough only once by outreach teams. However, a significant number are on the streets for much longer than this. In 2020-21, almost 2,126 people were sleeping rough in London for a second consecutive year.

1.2. In 2020-21, the GLA provided grant-funding of £212,000 to Riverside to expand the work of its Street Buddies outreach services (which was already working in one borough) to four additional London boroughs (approved via MD2657). The peer-led outreach team worked with 53 long-term rough sleepers that other outreach teams were unsuccessful in supporting off the streets. The service has since been seen as essential to successfully supporting some of London’s most entrenched rough sleepers.

1.3. In August 2021, the Mayor approved expenditure of up to £94,999 – received as part of the government’s RSI funding to the GLA – to grant fund Street Buddies in 2021-22 (via MD2853). A hybrid model was adopted to support: longer-term rough sleepers with whom other services have not successfully engaged; and those struggling to maintain accommodation, and who are at risk of returning to the streets.

1.4. This decision seeks approval for an additional £19,967 of grant funding for the Street Buddies service. This sum is the shortfall between the £94,999 received from the DLUHC as part of the government’s RSI funding covering the period October 2021 – March 2022, and Riverside’s full costs of delivering their Street Buddies project to the end of March 2022. Riverside had already started delivering the service when the GLA received the RSI 2021-22 allocation from DLUHC (MD2853 – approved in August 2021). This allocation did not cover the full costs for the year.

1.5. Officers have since been working with Riverside to understand any areas for savings. The additional funding of £19,967 represents the remaining shortfall and will be met from existing headroom in the core Rough Sleeping budget for 2021-22. It is considered a ‘one-off’ budgetary measure to meet the costs of delivering the project up to March 2022. GLA officers have since secured the full Q1 2022-23 settlement from the DLUHC to continue the provision of the service; it is not expected that internal funding streams will need to be used in future funding years.

1.6. Grant funding will be provided in accordance with the provisions of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code.

2.1. The additional grant funding of £19,967 will ensure continuation of the service until 31 March 2022.

2.2. The expected annual outcomes for the Street Buddies service are as follows:

• 12 rough sleepers supported to access accommodation
• eight former rough sleepers supported to maintain accommodation
• 14 rough sleepers engaged with other support services
• eight former rough sleepers recruited as Street Buddies volunteers
• eight former rough sleepers recruited as paid Street Buddies employees
• expansion of the existing Street Buddies service into a fourth London borough.

3.1. Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as public authorities, the Mayor and the GLA are subject to a public-sector equality duty and must have “due regard” to the need to (i) eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation; (ii) advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not; and (iii) foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not. Protected characteristics under section 149 of the Equality Act are age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and marriage or civil partnership status (all except the last being “relevant” protected characteristics).

3.2. Of those seen sleeping rough in 2020-21:

• 50 per cent were non-UK nationals
• 4 per cent were from Gypsy/Romany/Traveller communities
• 44 per cent had a mental health need
• 16 per cent were women
• most (59 per cent) were in the 26-45 age group
• 10 per cent were under 26 years old
• 10 per cent were over 55
• 7 per cent were under 18.

3.3. As shown in 3.2, those with protected characteristics of race and disability are over-represented among rough sleepers. As the target client group for the peer-led outreach service are entrenched rough sleepers or those with a history of sleeping rough, the service is likely to have positive impacts on Black, Asian and minority ethnic Londoners, and those with disabilities. As most people sleeping rough are men, more men than women are likely to access the service. However, it will seek to provide personalised, specialist support for women and non-binary people that meets the needs of these groups.

Key risks and issues

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

4.1. The Mayor’s London Housing Strategy sets out the aim to provide a sustainable route off the streets for every rough sleeper in London. The Mayor’s Rough Sleeping Commissioning framework, published in August 2021, also includes a key priority to commission services to stop people from returning to rough sleeping once they have been helped off the streets. The peer-led outreach service seeks to meet both priorities by working to support entrenched rough sleepers, and those who are struggling to maintain accommodation and at risk of returning to rough sleeping.

Consultations and impact assessments

4.2. The bids for the proposed services approved under MD2853, including extension of the peer-led outreach service, were developed in partnership with the Mayor’s Life Off the Streets taskforce, and informed by in-depth consultation with stakeholders across London.

Conflicts of interest

4.3. The officers involved in the drafting and clearance of this form have identified no known conflicts of interest.

5.1. This decision requests approval to expand funding of £19,967 grant funding to Riverside for its peer-led outreach service covering the period from 1 February 2022 to 31 March 2022. In August 2021, MD2853 approved expenditure of up to £94,999 – received as part of the DLUHC’s RSI funding to the GLA – to grant fund Street Buddies in 2021-22. This takes the total expenditure with Riverside in 2021-22 to £114,966.

5.2. This expenditure will be funded from existing headroom within the core Rough Sleeping budget for 2021-22; and will add to the £0.09m already received from the DLUHC.