London launches new and pioneering approach to prevent and tackle rough sleeping

• New £1 million fund announced by Mayor today will deliver new Floating Hubs in hotspot areas across 17 locations in the capital, ensuring long-term rough sleepers in the greatest need receive the support they need such as accommodation
• New Test and Learn pilot services to launch in London, strengthening rough sleeping prevention and housing options for those with additional needs
• Announcement is part of Sadiq’s wider, strategic approach to improve the effectiveness of services and end rough sleeping for good in London by 2030
• Renewed action comes as Mayor has increased City Hall’s rough sleeping budget fivefold from £8.45m a year to £44.8m since 2016, supporting nearly 20,000 people off the streets
• Mayor launches new winter campaign today and urges Londoners to connect people rough sleeping with local support services using StreetLink

London is leading from the front with a new, pioneering approach to help hundreds of rough sleepers and those at immediate risk off the streets this winter across the capital, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has announced today.

The new pioneering initiative will deliver a new Floating Hub service in up to 17 hotspot locations in London, providing a local, time-limited and intensive intervention to a targeted group of people experiencing longer-term rough sleeping. This will bring off the streets accommodation and dedicated multi-agency support to those who need it most, helping people with the greatest support and longer histories of rough sleeping.

The Mayor is committed to ending rough sleeping for good in our city by 2030 and since he became Mayor in 2016, has supported nearly 20,000 people off London’s streets. Sadiq has drastically increased City Hall’s rough sleeping budget fivefold from £8.45m a year to £44.8m and – earlier this year – announced the biggest ever single investment of £10m to tackle the capital’s rough sleeping crisis – more than any London Mayor. [1]

Sadiq has repeatedly made clear that every Londoner deserves a safe and secure home and is determined to build a better system where Londoners can get the help they need wherever they look for it, by ending the need to be seen sleeping rough to access support, and by joining up services so people do not need to navigate a complex system to get help.   

Today, the Mayor has announced fresh £1m funding will help to deliver intensive interventions in rough sleeping hotspots and introduce pilot schemes to prevent rough sleeping and secure housing for those with additional needs, including those who have been newly granted refugee status. [2]

The new investment, which supports the Mayor’s mission to end rough sleeping in the capital by 2030, is expected to help over 350 people sleeping rough, or at imminent risk of doing so, in the capital this winter. 

Two new Test and Learn pilot services will be launched to help people leaving asylum accommodation so that they are not forced to sleep rough, and help people who have come off the streets to secure a home of their own. The pilots will provide specialist advice, local housing information and support pathways as well as boost capacity within supported accommodation. This will help to address the steep rise in people being homeless when leaving asylum accommodation and ensuring those who are accommodated off the streets do not return to rough sleeping. 

The pilots are being supported by government funding through the London Ending Homelessness Accelerator Programme, launched last week by City Hall and London Councils, which is bringing together services in a more joined up way to better prevent homelessness and get people help when they need it the most. [3]

Alongside this, Sadiq is funding Crisis at Christmas this winter to ensure that an extended hotel provision can run for people who need more time to be supported off the streets for good over the festive period. Mayoral funding is also providing pan-London Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) accommodation to support local authorities with the costs of securing life-saving shelter when temperatures drop below zero. [4]

Today, the Mayor has also launched his annual winter rough sleeping campaign, which this year will focus on encouraging Londoners to connect people rough sleeping with local support services using StreetLink [5]. Londoners can also donate online through charity partner TAP London, via their website [6]. Alongside TAP London, the Mayor's rough sleeping campaign has raised more than £700,000 since 2016.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Every Londoner deserves a safe and secure home. The capital is acutely feeling the long-term consequences of a national housing crisis and local authorities have had their budgets slashed by the previous government, forcing them away from preventing homelessness and into crisis management mode.

“My announcement today is about transforming the support that we give to those forced to sleep rough on our streets, and those at risk of rough sleeping. That's why, alongside new Floating Hubs, we are launching two new pilot services to help people move into secure long-term housing. These will make sure that more people can get the support they need, when they need it, as we help them off the streets for good.

“As Mayor, I have supported nearly 20,000 people off the streets since 2016 and I will work closely with government, councils, experts and partners to deliver my commitment to end rough sleeping for good in London by 2030 as we work together to build a safer, fairer and better London for everyone.”

Emma Haddad, Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, said: “Rough sleeping is a growing and complex crisis in our capital; it requires bold action if we’re to succeed in the Mayor’s ambition to support everyone off the streets by 2030. We welcome the additional funding being announced today.

“The Mayor of London’s investment in the floating hubs will bring St Mungo’s expert help to more areas of London. Our frontline teams have been delivering support through the No Second Night Out hubs since 2017 and we have seen the difference they have made to thousands of people over that time by providing specialist intervention early to end homelessness quickly and allow people to rebuild their lives.

“The new floating hubs being announced today will help us reach more Londoners. They will, in particular, help us reach people who may have previously fallen through the cracks of support, including women and others who have been rough sleeping, often hidden, for longer periods. The hubs aim to guide people quickly away from the dangers of the streets towards a safe, stable home with the ongoing support they need.

“We look forward to working with the Mayor of London and local authorities on this exciting and ambitious approach. There is much we can achieve together in the year ahead, in the aim of ending rough sleeping in London for good.”

Hannah Faulkner, Head of Pan London Rough Sleeping Services and Prevention at St Mungo's, said: “As rough sleeping rises across London, the No Second Night Out floating hub will add a vital response – bringing rapid, on-the-spot assessments and support to people sleeping rough in less resourced areas and to certain groups who are harder to reach.

“No Second Night Out teams work day in and day out to support people sleeping rough, and we see first-hand the real human impact of long-term rough sleeping and how it can impact someone's recovery from homelessness.

“The floating hub will be a valuable service that will improve routes off the street to a wider and growing group of people in need of support, thereby ending their homelessness sooner.”

Donnie Brown, St Mungo's client, said: “I'm very grateful to St Mungo's. I have been homeless for years and struggling to find support due to my name being attached to a house that I could not return to or access. This left me homeless for longer, suffering without a safe home, being beaten on the streets and reliant on rogue landlords who ended up taking my deposit and belongings. It was when I met St Mungo's that I received the support I needed. With St Mungo's and the No Second Night Out team's support, I have now accessed both my private and state Pension, received legal support in resolving the issues relating to my previous home and am waiting to move into my next property. St Mungo's are amazing. They're helpful, communicative and are able to see where support is needed. I can't thank them enough for their help.”

Sharon Fernando, StreetLink Marketing Officer, said: “We’re delighted to support the Mayor’s latest rough sleeping campaign. By searching ‘StreetLink’ and submitting an alert when they see someone sleeping rough, Londoners can help ensure that trained outreach workers are able to search for individuals quickly and offer meaningful support. Winter is a particularly dangerous time for people on the streets, and the simple act of raising an alert can be a powerful way to connect a rough sleeper with the help they need.”