Mayor and London Councils to make homelessness support quicker and easier to access backed with £3.5 million investment

• Mayor and London Councils announce new city-wide Ending Homelessness Accelerator Programme to help Londoners at risk of homelessness get the support they need as early as possible 
• London collectively spends over £1 billion annually on preventing and resolving homelessness – for the first time ever, this new programme will help that money go further with new and innovative approaches
• Fresh action seeks to better prevent homelessness, reduce the use of the worst forms of temporary accommodation, and help deliver the Mayor’s Plan of Action to end rough sleeping for good in London by 2030

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and London Councils have announced the launch of a new London Ending Homelessness Accelerator Programme – bringing together more services to better prevent homelessness and get people help when they need it the most.

This is backed with a new £3.5 million investment secured by City Hall and London Councils from Government, which will enable the testing of innovative approaches to preventing homelessness, as well as supporting a team to drive forward key reforms. 

The Accelerator Programme will support London government to work together and improve services for Londoners at risk of all forms of homelessness, whether forced to sleep rough or living in temporary accommodation. Through a strong partnership between City Hall, London boroughs, and national government, the programme aims to ensure that public services and resources are joined-up and available to prevent homelessness early and sustainably, costs are reduced and improvements are made to the supply and quality of temporary and supported housing. 

The capital city is the epicentre of the national homelessness crisis. An estimated one in 50 Londoners are homeless and living in temporary accommodation, with boroughs spending £5.5 million on homelessness services every day. City Hall and London boroughs now collectively spend over £1 billion annually on preventing and resolving all forms of homelessness. A historic lack of funding has forced a focus on crisis management rather than preventing Londoners from becoming homeless in the first place – this innovative new approach will support prevention.

The Mayor and boroughs will continue to work with the Government and other key partners in the housing sector to tackle London’s homelessness emergency and support the government’s national ambition to get Britain back on track to ending homelessness. In the face of such severe housing and homelessness challenges, this will require more affordable housing, funding for temporary accommodation, and support for vulnerable people to find and keep their homes. 

The new programme will drive forward city-wide Plans of Action to improve prevention, temporary accommodation, supported housing and rough sleeping respectively, which will be finalised in spring 2026.   

The Mayor published the Rough Sleeping Plan of Action in May this year, to put London on a pathway to ending rough sleeping for good by 2030. Under the Mayor’s leadership, more than 18,000 people have already been helped off the capital’s streets since 2016, with three quarters not returning to the streets. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I have been clear that 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, forcing them away from preventing homelessness and into crisis management mode.  

“Our new programme will ensure those at risk of or already experiencing homelessness get the support they need as early as possible. By working in partnership with London Councils, Government and experts we can make resources available to prevent homelessness early and ensure improvements are made to the quality of temporary accommodation.  

“I am committed to ending rough sleeping by 2030 and providing support to get people off the streets – ultimately preventing them from becoming homeless in the first place. Ensuring people can access the help they need, when they need it, is at the centre of our plan, as we work together to build a safer, fairer London for everyone.” 

Cllr Grace Williams, London Councils’ Executive Member for Housing & Regeneration, said: “London is grappling with a homelessness emergency, with one in 50 Londoners now living in temporary accommodation. On average there is at least one homeless child in every London classroom – an appalling statistic.

“Homelessness has a devastating impact on those who experience it and we are especially concerned about the children and young Londoners growing up in temporary accommodation. We are determined to turn this situation around.

“The Ending Homelessness Accelerator Programme is an important step forward in our pan-London partnership. In the face of enormous challenges and constraints, we are pleased to be working alongside the Mayor, the government, and other crucial partners, on improving coordination and driving innovation to help end all forms of homelessness more quickly.”