Rough sleeping is on the rise in London with an alarming number of non-UK nationals among them.
- In 2015/16, 59 per cent of London’s rough sleepers were not UK nationals.
- In 2015/16, 74 per cent of London’s rough sleepers had support needs relating to mental health, alcohol or drugs.
- In 2015/16, 32 per cent of those sleeping rough had been in prison, 10 per cent had been in care, and 8 per cent had been in the armed forces.[1]
The problem continues despite more availability of first stage hostel beds, more funding and a number of other measures.
The London Assembly Housing Committee meets tomorrow to discuss the state of rough sleeping in London. Questions will include:
- Why is there an increase in the number of people sleeping rough in the capital?
- Why is the rate of non-UK nationals sleeping rough on the rise?
- Why is the number of people returning to the streets increasing despite more availability in first stage hostel beds?
- What are the implications of the proposed Homelessness Reduction Bill for local authorities?
The Committee will hear from the following guests:
- Kath Dane, Commissioner for London Borough of Tower Hamlets
- Dan Olney, Assistant Director of Pan London Street Homeless and Outreach Services
- Jeremy Swain, Chief Executive, Thames Reach
- David Eastwood, Services and Commissioning Manager, GLA
The meeting will take place on Tuesday 28 February from 10:00am in Committee Room 5 (The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA).
Media and members of the public are invited to attend and the meeting can also be viewed via webcast or YouTube.
Follow us @LondonAssembly and take part in the meeting discussion using #AssemblyHousing and #RoughSleepingLDN
Notes to editors
- CHAIN Annual Bulletin Greater London 2015/16
- Full agenda papers.
- London Assembly Housing Committee
- Andrew Boff AM, Chairman of the Housing Committee, is available for interviews. See contact details below.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Sonia Labboun on 020 7983 5769. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.