The proportion of all rough sleepers who have been on the streets for at least two years, has risen from 32% to 40%. [1]
Is the Housing First scheme a solution to the problem?
Housing First is a programme that provides a homeless person with immediate and permanent housing without preconditions.
Once housed, they are given additional support such as a GP, drug and alcohol support, education or training for as long as required.
Today, the London Assembly Housing Committee publishes two letters. One to the Mayor and another to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) with a list of recommendations on how to expand Housing First in London.
Some of the recommendations include:
- The Mayor and the Government should provide longer term funding for Housing First schemes.
- The Mayor should establish a pan-London Housing First lettings agency to source accommodation for chronically homeless people.
Member of the London Assembly Housing Committee, Sian Berry AM said:
“Rough sleeping in a prosperous city like London should not exist and it is shocking that it does.
“Schemes like Housing First could go a long way to help those who find themselves homeless.
“The visibility of homeless people in London has become progressively worse and it’s time we did something serious to address it.
“The Mayor and the government should work together to fund Housing First so it can become a London-wide program.
“It is possible to change the lives of vulnerable rough sleepers, one home at a time, if there is the political will and the funding to do it.”
Related documents
Housing First - Letter to Mayor
Housing First - Letter to MHCLG
Notes to editors
- [1] Figures from the CHAIN Annual Report 2017/18
- The letters are attached.
- Watch a video of how a Housing First property has changed the life of a former rough sleeper.
- Sian Berry AM, former Chair of the Housing Committee, is available for interviews. Please see contact details below.
- Housing Committee.
- 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 Funmi Olutoye on 020 7084 2713. 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.