There is definitely a huge increase in rough sleeping in London. And a decrease in services to support these people as well as a higher threshold to meet in order to receive services. Something needs to be done.
Talk London | Talk London | 1 year ago
Thanks everyone for your views.
One way in which services try to help rough sleepers is to move them to an area where they have a past connection such as accommodation or social, family and support networks. This is called reconnection.
What do you think about reconnection as a tool for helping rough sleepers? Do you think it’s effective? Why/ why not?
Talk London
Redveg993 | Community Member | 1 year ago
I have to say that I get very angry indeed when I see so many of our fellow citizens homeless and destitute on the streets. It speaks volumes about the ideological and moral character of this disgusting government. It seems that the number of people left street homeless is increasing almost by the day. This is totally and utterly unacceptable in any society that calls itself democratic and civilised.
The Mayor needs to tackle this problem immediately, for it is an emergency.
He should lead an initiative to house the homeless (and we have to remember that street homelessness is only 'the thick end of the wedge' - many more people are in such acute housing distress, e.g. damp, dirt, insecure short term tenancies, 'sofa surfing' with friends or relatives that they are in essence homeless). Some of the money set aside in Hammond's Autumn Statement could be utilised for this purpose, rather than being squandered on the CEOs and shareholders of construction developers or used to bolster the property status of the already well off.
He should petition the government to legislate for a cap on private rents - many become homeless due to inability to meet exorbitant rental charges.
The Mayor should also add his voice, backed by funding and resourcing, to those in London opposing the roll out of Universal Credit. There has lately been a promise by government to reduce waiting time for the processing of a new claim from six to five weeks. This is the grossest insult to those who depend on such payments to provide themselves with food, fuel, clothing and a roof over the heads, and there has in fact lately been much publicity about private landlords who have told their tenants that they will not wait five weeks for rent. These hapless people face inevitable eviction and homelessness,
Homelessness in London and elsewhere make me utterly ashamed to be a citizen of this country.
Im a Londoner | Community Member | 1 year ago
We know that it has been getting worse. It's a huge problem. Precarious work, and the current benefits system don't help the situation. It's not just about lack of housing. Its a sign of a bigger failure in our society. No-one should have to end up in that situation, and more needs to be done to prevent it - really early on - but also support people back out of homelessness, so that they don't end up in the same situation again. At the moment, the options are really limited for people that are homeless. For a lot of people, the only option is private rented sector, which is a problem in itself. There needs to be more ongoing support, or at least support for a limited time, and more follow up, for people moving out of homelessness into housing that's outside the hostel system. E.g. more floating support (and at a lower threshold than currently to access it).
Talk London | Talk London | 1 year ago
Do you know what support services exist for rough sleepers in London? How effective do you think those services are?
mwbradley | Community Member | 1 year ago
It is clear that there has been a sharp increase in rough sleeping all over London.
I am not clear who is responsible for addressing the issue and what is being done.
With the winter coming these people need help quickly
Talk London | Talk London | 1 year ago
Thanks for all your contributions so far.
Many of you have noticed an increase in rough sleeping. What do you think are the causes of rough sleeping? Who does it affect?
Talk London
tssoaamanda | Community Member | 1 year ago
There was a recent campaign in support of a young mother of two small kids who was made homeless by Lambeth council because she was in rent arrears as a result of complications in the payment of her welfare benefits. Apparently the changes in the benefits system has caused cases like this to become more and more common. Shocking.
PV | Community Member | 1 year ago
I just completed the survey about housing strategy and half of all questions were about rough sleeping.
There are many underlying issues to make people sleep rough (drugs, mental heslth, criminality, illegal status etc) and I very much doubt that lack of housing is the main cause.
Why does rough sleeping even show as reason in a housing strategy ????
mariathena | Community Member | 1 year ago
There is an alarmingly increasing number of foreign beggars in Westminster borough. They pretend to be rough sleepers and take up large chunks of pavements and open spaces. They beg aggressively and also pry for pickpocketing or other thefts when possible. They lurk for vulnerable older people . They blatantly steal at local supermarkets . They are pushing away the traditional genuine rough sleepers , there have been even arguments and fights witnessed. These beggars are part of a criminal gang who imprts them from Romania and other places and then dispatches them across London with vans ever morning. They are collected again in the evening so they dont sleep rough , and they have to report their loot and gains to the gang masters. All that is happening in Central London . Begging is forbidden by law but no arrests seem to be made , at least not enough. Time to put things in order and enforce the laws.
Yvonne2441 | Community Member | 1 year ago
I do not donate to rough sleepers on the street as I would be concerned that they might spend the money on alcohol or drugs.
If there were a London wide voucher scheme with hostels, that each rough sleeper could be given a code for, that members of the public could make a donation to via text, so that they could have a bed for the night, I would be happy to donate.
NHW | Community Member | 1 year ago
Worse.
Because we have unregulated Migration from the EU - not the same as Free Movement of Workers (not People) under EU Rules - persons simply enter the UK either to escape conditions in their home country or to do casual work for cash and regard the UK as a country that is tolerant of homeless people
julietk | Community Member | 1 year ago
A big problem, and it seems to be getting worse - a lot worse. Am now getting begging on the Tube and TFL Overground as a regular thing... I sympathise, but really do not want to get this... The benefits reductions and sanctions seem to have caused quite a lot, and there also appear to be a lot of ex-Forces homeless. Would suggest that the military need to have better resettlement plans, and make sure that they're caring for people leaving the Forces, for starters... Would also suggest that some empty homes/offices are used as temporary (or not so temporary) hostels.
Welsh allan | Community Member | 1 year ago
have noticed a dramatic increase over the past couple of years
Luctam | Community Member | 1 year ago
In my opinion it is not a big problem yet, but it's getting worse.
Berengaria | Community Member | 1 year ago
It's a big problem still and will remain so until Government grasp the nettle. There needs to be far more mental health help, and far more social housing. Employment law is probably in the mix too as some people become homeless as a result of losing jobs.
Talk London | Talk London | 1 year ago
Thanks everyone for your comments so far.
Have you done anything to help a rough sleeper recently? What action did you take?
Talk London
Steve R | Community Member | 1 year ago
2 things actually.
1st I gave £10 for a well kempt, he was homeless but kept some dignity and looked after himself, rough sleeper to have a meal.
2nd I discovered a friend of 44 years, with a failed hip operation, was sleeping rough, he is now staying with me and I will do my best to get him back in to a decent home of his own, but obviously need help from the council and my first contact was not encouraging. He was actually 999'd to hospital, last night, for emergency surgery today, as his hip went out for the 7th time when the temporary terminator style support failed, just how long is temporary after 6 failures?.
I can only say that when help is needed, and I need some, it isn't there and the attitude is less than satisfactory or even of any help at all. I am 65 and very mobility disabled, he is older than me and the system failed him when he needed it, pride meant he didn't ask for it, that was a green light by whoever to do nothing and this is the result, I hope they feel satisfied that at least they saved some money, short term only of course, because the council will have to pick longer term costs just as the NHS are finding out today.
HeidiR17 | Community Member | 1 year ago
Rough sleeping is a major problem in London, but it needs a holistic approach, not just provision of more social housing. Rough sleeping and homelessness is generally caused and then exacerbated by one or more of the following: mental health problems, financial problems, drugs/alcohol/addiction, relationship breakdown, and institutionalisation. Providing the physical roof over someone's head will not solve the problem per se: support to address underlying issues (mental health, physical health, relationships, employment etc) is needed alongside it. Providing somewhere dry, safe (and preferably clean and private - hostels are often not pleasant places and many rough sleepers would prefer to be on the streets) creates a context where these underlying issues can more easily be addressed, which in turn makes it more likely that someone will successfully find and stay in permanent accommodation.
HeidiR17 | Community Member | 1 year ago
While I agree that everyone should be paid a good wage to begin with, it can often be extremely difficult as an individual consumer to be sure that everyone in a business is being paid a living wage. For example, a large department store might pay the staff it employs directly a living wage, but might put security and cleaning services out to tenure to companies which might not pay the living wage; or a restaurant might pay their staff the living wage, but the delivery person who brings the ingredients each morning might not. I can ask the store owner or restaurant owner if their staff are paid the living wage, but might not be able to find out whether everyone who works on the premises is paid a living wage. We can vote with our feet and our wallets, but I think that local council support is also needed to ensure that living wages are paid. There is also the issue of the 'black economy', with unregistered workers/businesses avoiding paying minimum wages (let alone a living wage). It is illegal, and so definitely a government law enforcement issue, but it will still create problems with rough sleeping in the meantime.
However, the issue of rough sleeping isn't purely about wages: there are wider issues of mental health, physical health, institutionalisation etc which are social issues and as much a government responsibility as health care or education. There is also a difference between addressing the causes and addressing the actuality of rough sleeping. Even if we voted with our feet and wallets to make businesses pay a better wage and was exceptionally successful, there would still be a time lag between better wages being paid and a reduction in the number of people unable to afford accommodation during which rough sleeping would still be a major problem. I would consider providing some relief for those people to be a local council concern.
tonydoona | Community Member | 1 year ago
Sorry but I definitely disagree that this is a government issue.
If people are carrying out work at a rate that cannot sustain a reasonable lifestyle why are they doing so, I have spent my career working in construction which is by default short term contracting, i.e. the so called gig economy, no work no pay, no guarantee of work let alone hours.
if the job cannot afford to pay a living wage it gets no workers and the building does not get built.
if a shop, hotel, restaurant cannot afford to pay a living wage then it is our immorality in insisting on nice things at cut prices that needs to change not government policy. Should we be paying more at the till to ensure this does not happen or do we agree to higher tax rates to subsidize by the back door, either way.
it is down to us not the government to vote with our feet and wallets, housing costs are only as high as they are because of our insistence on making ever increasing paper profits on our possessions not on government policies.
tonydoona | Community Member | 1 year ago
When walking through central London and the west end on my way to work each morning large amounts of rough sleepers gather at certain points, these being feeding stations set up by well meaning organizations.
I strongly believe that these be stopped as it is encouraging and prolonging the problem.
London is a tough place to live with little or no money but is also a magnet, London offers opportunity for everybody but we must be careful not to encourage a situation where these practices are deemed acceptable, anybody that has to clear away the debris and filth left behind some of these people each morning before opening for business will agree.
If you travel across Europe this is not as big an issue even though housing costs are comparable, what are we doing wrong
Steve R | Community Member | 1 year ago
I have lived in the EU and housing costs, rent wise, are considerably lower than the UK, let alone London. What are we doing wrong?, well the list is endless but it starts with government and setting a reasonable minimum wage to begin with, because there are homeless workers that cannot afford to have a roof over their heads. I will leave it to others for each of them to post one reason each and it will be a long list.
HeidiR17 | Community Member | 1 year ago
Providing help doesn't really encourage rough sleeping. Many rough sleepers don't come from outside London but where living London and subsequently ended up losing their accommodation. Of those who did come from outside London, most came in the hope of finding employment, not to sleep rough and access charitable aid. Most places which provide rough sleepers with something to eat also offer medical services, mental health services, advice on employment and accommodation, and so can help address the problem of rough sleepers in the long term.
London is certainly a tough place with little or no money, in part because accommodation costs are high and wages are often too low to meet them - particularly in low-paid jobs such as cleaning and kitchen portering. The problem is exacerbated by short-term contracts and uncertain hours. I have met some people who are employed but still have to sleep rough because they simply cannot find anywhere in London which they can afford. Closing charities providing services for rough sleepers will only make the problem worse (not least because councils often contract these charities to provide services such as outreach work).
Rebecca Anderson | Community Member | 1 year ago
I've noticed an increase in rough sleeping in recent years in Central London. Lack of social housing and high rents are the major factors in play. Many people are only a month or two's pay cheque away from being homeless. An inadequate and hostile benefit system designed to punish rather than help quickly pushes people over the edge into depression and anxiety after they've lost their job and are scared about their housing situation. It's difficult to get mental health care as providers are overwhelmed as are the services that are supposed to be able to stop people from becoming homeless.
While more needs to be done to address the need for rough sleeping, there's the issue of the homeless who aren't actually sleeping on the streets (yet). Sofa surfing and living in somebody's spare room without their landlord knowing is on the increase. These people can't claim benefits or vote because of their housing situation and some can't even get a bank account.
According to the Shelter website, 1 in 25 are homeless in Westminster. There are so many luxury apartments being built that only the very rich can afford. Developers are now claiming they can't make much of a profit so that they dodge the requirement to include social housing.
The system is seriously broken and will only get worse without a major change to the status quo.
natasha langridge | Community Member | 1 year ago
The number of people sleeping on the streets has increased enormously. We need more social housing, more mental health care and jobs that pay a real living wage to combat it.
brendak142 | Community Member | 1 year ago
Yes, it has become worse again. There was a lull for a few years, but there now seem to be a lot of street beggars and rough sleepers on the streets, especially close to the entrance to Charing Cross Tube, close to St Martin's Church.
Miffy | Community Member | 1 year ago
Its getting worse. They aren't just drunks in soho... its people with jobs sleeping in cars and tents as rents are more than take home pay, debt, relationship break ups, evictions so many reasons. Can anyone blame them for ending up with dependancy issues when having to exist on the streets? Then there are the young people. Thank the gods for charitys like crisis and centrepoint etc. Rough sleepers are out in zone 4 where I live and they don't beg and are always gracious. In central touristy london its hard to know who is genuine and who is from a professional gang.
Steve R | Community Member | 1 year ago
I totally agree with you, there are a few agressive drunks in Twickenham but they are well outnumbered by the gracious ones who for whatever reasons and I gave one earlier are homeless, there is only so much I can do and wish the council would actively respond and not leave it to over stretched charities.
You are right about central London although I had an amusing experience 3 weeks ago when I attended a Radio 4 show at the Beeb, when I left with my bag of Dad's Army purchases, then stopped to get some trainers and got another bag. Halfway down Oxford Street, hobbling on my stick and struggling with 2 bags (I can't stop laughing writing this), a very kind guy offered me a takeaway meal he had just bought and I realised I looked like some bagman trying to find somewhere to lay my head for the night. hehehe I still don't know if I was being insulted about my appearance or he was just being generous to someone he thought who needed help. Old age and disabled don't make me look at my best anytime, hehehe. It did round off my evening and I did decline the meal though as I had just eaten. I must have looked like a gibbering idiot as I walked to TCR station laughing all the way.
pukpuk | Community Member | 1 year ago
I don't believe there are many genuine homeless people. Most just choose this way of living or came from another country and didn't get everything they were promised.
bumphere | Community Member | 1 year ago
Why not spend this Christmas volunteering at a shelter and see if that changes your perceptions?
HeidiR17 | Community Member | 1 year ago
A few do choose to sleep rough; the vast majority don't. Most people are also from the UK, mainly London. I volunteer on street outreach schemes and with a homelessness charity: the people we meet are definitely sleeping rough (we go out in the early hours), many have done so for years but still see finding permanent accommodation as their aim. Support for people who come from outside of the UK is limited: when looking for accommodation, rough sleepers need to demonstrate that they are from the local area, so for example even if you came from Southwark you would be unlikely to be eligible for help in Westminster; if you came from outside London or outside the UK, the chances of you being able to access council support are tiny.
JAXM | Community Member | 1 year ago
The number of homeless people are on the increase mainly because of the shortage of social housing as private rental is so expensive and beyond the means of people who are on the street for whatever reason. Its frustrating that there are so many empty properties that could be used. There is a large office block on the North Circular road that has been empty for at least fifteen years why can't this be knocked down and flats built? You could get a lot of properties on that footprint and house a lot of people but it seems it better to leave it empty and let it get vandalised.
There should be some sort of process that if any properties( both residential and commercial) have been empty for a considerable amount of time then they local authority should have the power to compulsory purchase and convert it to social or affordable housing
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There is definitely a huge increase in rough sleeping in London. And a decrease in services to support these people as well as a higher threshold to meet in order to receive services. Something needs to be done.
Thanks everyone for your views.
One way in which services try to help rough sleepers is to move them to an area where they have a past connection such as accommodation or social, family and support networks. This is called reconnection.
What do you think about reconnection as a tool for helping rough sleepers? Do you think it’s effective? Why/ why not?
Talk London
I have to say that I get very angry indeed when I see so many of our fellow citizens homeless and destitute on the streets. It speaks volumes about the ideological and moral character of this disgusting government. It seems that the number of people left street homeless is increasing almost by the day. This is totally and utterly unacceptable in any society that calls itself democratic and civilised.
The Mayor needs to tackle this problem immediately, for it is an emergency.
He should lead an initiative to house the homeless (and we have to remember that street homelessness is only 'the thick end of the wedge' - many more people are in such acute housing distress, e.g. damp, dirt, insecure short term tenancies, 'sofa surfing' with friends or relatives that they are in essence homeless). Some of the money set aside in Hammond's Autumn Statement could be utilised for this purpose, rather than being squandered on the CEOs and shareholders of construction developers or used to bolster the property status of the already well off.
He should petition the government to legislate for a cap on private rents - many become homeless due to inability to meet exorbitant rental charges.
The Mayor should also add his voice, backed by funding and resourcing, to those in London opposing the roll out of Universal Credit. There has lately been a promise by government to reduce waiting time for the processing of a new claim from six to five weeks. This is the grossest insult to those who depend on such payments to provide themselves with food, fuel, clothing and a roof over the heads, and there has in fact lately been much publicity about private landlords who have told their tenants that they will not wait five weeks for rent. These hapless people face inevitable eviction and homelessness,
Homelessness in London and elsewhere make me utterly ashamed to be a citizen of this country.
We know that it has been getting worse. It's a huge problem. Precarious work, and the current benefits system don't help the situation. It's not just about lack of housing. Its a sign of a bigger failure in our society. No-one should have to end up in that situation, and more needs to be done to prevent it - really early on - but also support people back out of homelessness, so that they don't end up in the same situation again. At the moment, the options are really limited for people that are homeless. For a lot of people, the only option is private rented sector, which is a problem in itself. There needs to be more ongoing support, or at least support for a limited time, and more follow up, for people moving out of homelessness into housing that's outside the hostel system. E.g. more floating support (and at a lower threshold than currently to access it).
Do you know what support services exist for rough sleepers in London? How effective do you think those services are?
It is clear that there has been a sharp increase in rough sleeping all over London.
I am not clear who is responsible for addressing the issue and what is being done.
With the winter coming these people need help quickly
Thanks for all your contributions so far.
Many of you have noticed an increase in rough sleeping. What do you think are the causes of rough sleeping? Who does it affect?
Talk London
There was a recent campaign in support of a young mother of two small kids who was made homeless by Lambeth council because she was in rent arrears as a result of complications in the payment of her welfare benefits. Apparently the changes in the benefits system has caused cases like this to become more and more common. Shocking.
I just completed the survey about housing strategy and half of all questions were about rough sleeping.
There are many underlying issues to make people sleep rough (drugs, mental heslth, criminality, illegal status etc) and I very much doubt that lack of housing is the main cause.
Why does rough sleeping even show as reason in a housing strategy ????
There is an alarmingly increasing number of foreign beggars in Westminster borough. They pretend to be rough sleepers and take up large chunks of pavements and open spaces. They beg aggressively and also pry for pickpocketing or other thefts when possible. They lurk for vulnerable older people . They blatantly steal at local supermarkets . They are pushing away the traditional genuine rough sleepers , there have been even arguments and fights witnessed. These beggars are part of a criminal gang who imprts them from Romania and other places and then dispatches them across London with vans ever morning. They are collected again in the evening so they dont sleep rough , and they have to report their loot and gains to the gang masters. All that is happening in Central London . Begging is forbidden by law but no arrests seem to be made , at least not enough. Time to put things in order and enforce the laws.
I do not donate to rough sleepers on the street as I would be concerned that they might spend the money on alcohol or drugs.
If there were a London wide voucher scheme with hostels, that each rough sleeper could be given a code for, that members of the public could make a donation to via text, so that they could have a bed for the night, I would be happy to donate.
Worse.
Because we have unregulated Migration from the EU - not the same as Free Movement of Workers (not People) under EU Rules - persons simply enter the UK either to escape conditions in their home country or to do casual work for cash and regard the UK as a country that is tolerant of homeless people
A big problem, and it seems to be getting worse - a lot worse. Am now getting begging on the Tube and TFL Overground as a regular thing... I sympathise, but really do not want to get this... The benefits reductions and sanctions seem to have caused quite a lot, and there also appear to be a lot of ex-Forces homeless. Would suggest that the military need to have better resettlement plans, and make sure that they're caring for people leaving the Forces, for starters... Would also suggest that some empty homes/offices are used as temporary (or not so temporary) hostels.
have noticed a dramatic increase over the past couple of years
In my opinion it is not a big problem yet, but it's getting worse.
It's a big problem still and will remain so until Government grasp the nettle. There needs to be far more mental health help, and far more social housing. Employment law is probably in the mix too as some people become homeless as a result of losing jobs.
Thanks everyone for your comments so far.
Have you done anything to help a rough sleeper recently? What action did you take?
Talk London
2 things actually.
1st I gave £10 for a well kempt, he was homeless but kept some dignity and looked after himself, rough sleeper to have a meal.
2nd I discovered a friend of 44 years, with a failed hip operation, was sleeping rough, he is now staying with me and I will do my best to get him back in to a decent home of his own, but obviously need help from the council and my first contact was not encouraging. He was actually 999'd to hospital, last night, for emergency surgery today, as his hip went out for the 7th time when the temporary terminator style support failed, just how long is temporary after 6 failures?.
I can only say that when help is needed, and I need some, it isn't there and the attitude is less than satisfactory or even of any help at all. I am 65 and very mobility disabled, he is older than me and the system failed him when he needed it, pride meant he didn't ask for it, that was a green light by whoever to do nothing and this is the result, I hope they feel satisfied that at least they saved some money, short term only of course, because the council will have to pick longer term costs just as the NHS are finding out today.
Rough sleeping is a major problem in London, but it needs a holistic approach, not just provision of more social housing. Rough sleeping and homelessness is generally caused and then exacerbated by one or more of the following: mental health problems, financial problems, drugs/alcohol/addiction, relationship breakdown, and institutionalisation. Providing the physical roof over someone's head will not solve the problem per se: support to address underlying issues (mental health, physical health, relationships, employment etc) is needed alongside it. Providing somewhere dry, safe (and preferably clean and private - hostels are often not pleasant places and many rough sleepers would prefer to be on the streets) creates a context where these underlying issues can more easily be addressed, which in turn makes it more likely that someone will successfully find and stay in permanent accommodation.
While I agree that everyone should be paid a good wage to begin with, it can often be extremely difficult as an individual consumer to be sure that everyone in a business is being paid a living wage. For example, a large department store might pay the staff it employs directly a living wage, but might put security and cleaning services out to tenure to companies which might not pay the living wage; or a restaurant might pay their staff the living wage, but the delivery person who brings the ingredients each morning might not. I can ask the store owner or restaurant owner if their staff are paid the living wage, but might not be able to find out whether everyone who works on the premises is paid a living wage. We can vote with our feet and our wallets, but I think that local council support is also needed to ensure that living wages are paid. There is also the issue of the 'black economy', with unregistered workers/businesses avoiding paying minimum wages (let alone a living wage). It is illegal, and so definitely a government law enforcement issue, but it will still create problems with rough sleeping in the meantime.
However, the issue of rough sleeping isn't purely about wages: there are wider issues of mental health, physical health, institutionalisation etc which are social issues and as much a government responsibility as health care or education. There is also a difference between addressing the causes and addressing the actuality of rough sleeping. Even if we voted with our feet and wallets to make businesses pay a better wage and was exceptionally successful, there would still be a time lag between better wages being paid and a reduction in the number of people unable to afford accommodation during which rough sleeping would still be a major problem. I would consider providing some relief for those people to be a local council concern.
Sorry but I definitely disagree that this is a government issue.
If people are carrying out work at a rate that cannot sustain a reasonable lifestyle why are they doing so, I have spent my career working in construction which is by default short term contracting, i.e. the so called gig economy, no work no pay, no guarantee of work let alone hours.
if the job cannot afford to pay a living wage it gets no workers and the building does not get built.
if a shop, hotel, restaurant cannot afford to pay a living wage then it is our immorality in insisting on nice things at cut prices that needs to change not government policy. Should we be paying more at the till to ensure this does not happen or do we agree to higher tax rates to subsidize by the back door, either way.
it is down to us not the government to vote with our feet and wallets, housing costs are only as high as they are because of our insistence on making ever increasing paper profits on our possessions not on government policies.
When walking through central London and the west end on my way to work each morning large amounts of rough sleepers gather at certain points, these being feeding stations set up by well meaning organizations.
I strongly believe that these be stopped as it is encouraging and prolonging the problem.
London is a tough place to live with little or no money but is also a magnet, London offers opportunity for everybody but we must be careful not to encourage a situation where these practices are deemed acceptable, anybody that has to clear away the debris and filth left behind some of these people each morning before opening for business will agree.
If you travel across Europe this is not as big an issue even though housing costs are comparable, what are we doing wrong
I have lived in the EU and housing costs, rent wise, are considerably lower than the UK, let alone London. What are we doing wrong?, well the list is endless but it starts with government and setting a reasonable minimum wage to begin with, because there are homeless workers that cannot afford to have a roof over their heads. I will leave it to others for each of them to post one reason each and it will be a long list.
Providing help doesn't really encourage rough sleeping. Many rough sleepers don't come from outside London but where living London and subsequently ended up losing their accommodation. Of those who did come from outside London, most came in the hope of finding employment, not to sleep rough and access charitable aid. Most places which provide rough sleepers with something to eat also offer medical services, mental health services, advice on employment and accommodation, and so can help address the problem of rough sleepers in the long term.
London is certainly a tough place with little or no money, in part because accommodation costs are high and wages are often too low to meet them - particularly in low-paid jobs such as cleaning and kitchen portering. The problem is exacerbated by short-term contracts and uncertain hours. I have met some people who are employed but still have to sleep rough because they simply cannot find anywhere in London which they can afford. Closing charities providing services for rough sleepers will only make the problem worse (not least because councils often contract these charities to provide services such as outreach work).
I've noticed an increase in rough sleeping in recent years in Central London. Lack of social housing and high rents are the major factors in play. Many people are only a month or two's pay cheque away from being homeless. An inadequate and hostile benefit system designed to punish rather than help quickly pushes people over the edge into depression and anxiety after they've lost their job and are scared about their housing situation. It's difficult to get mental health care as providers are overwhelmed as are the services that are supposed to be able to stop people from becoming homeless.
While more needs to be done to address the need for rough sleeping, there's the issue of the homeless who aren't actually sleeping on the streets (yet). Sofa surfing and living in somebody's spare room without their landlord knowing is on the increase. These people can't claim benefits or vote because of their housing situation and some can't even get a bank account.
According to the Shelter website, 1 in 25 are homeless in Westminster. There are so many luxury apartments being built that only the very rich can afford. Developers are now claiming they can't make much of a profit so that they dodge the requirement to include social housing.
The system is seriously broken and will only get worse without a major change to the status quo.
The number of people sleeping on the streets has increased enormously. We need more social housing, more mental health care and jobs that pay a real living wage to combat it.
Yes, it has become worse again. There was a lull for a few years, but there now seem to be a lot of street beggars and rough sleepers on the streets, especially close to the entrance to Charing Cross Tube, close to St Martin's Church.
Its getting worse. They aren't just drunks in soho... its people with jobs sleeping in cars and tents as rents are more than take home pay, debt, relationship break ups, evictions so many reasons. Can anyone blame them for ending up with dependancy issues when having to exist on the streets? Then there are the young people. Thank the gods for charitys like crisis and centrepoint etc. Rough sleepers are out in zone 4 where I live and they don't beg and are always gracious. In central touristy london its hard to know who is genuine and who is from a professional gang.
I totally agree with you, there are a few agressive drunks in Twickenham but they are well outnumbered by the gracious ones who for whatever reasons and I gave one earlier are homeless, there is only so much I can do and wish the council would actively respond and not leave it to over stretched charities.
You are right about central London although I had an amusing experience 3 weeks ago when I attended a Radio 4 show at the Beeb, when I left with my bag of Dad's Army purchases, then stopped to get some trainers and got another bag. Halfway down Oxford Street, hobbling on my stick and struggling with 2 bags (I can't stop laughing writing this), a very kind guy offered me a takeaway meal he had just bought and I realised I looked like some bagman trying to find somewhere to lay my head for the night. hehehe I still don't know if I was being insulted about my appearance or he was just being generous to someone he thought who needed help. Old age and disabled don't make me look at my best anytime, hehehe. It did round off my evening and I did decline the meal though as I had just eaten. I must have looked like a gibbering idiot as I walked to TCR station laughing all the way.
I don't believe there are many genuine homeless people. Most just choose this way of living or came from another country and didn't get everything they were promised.
Why not spend this Christmas volunteering at a shelter and see if that changes your perceptions?
A few do choose to sleep rough; the vast majority don't. Most people are also from the UK, mainly London. I volunteer on street outreach schemes and with a homelessness charity: the people we meet are definitely sleeping rough (we go out in the early hours), many have done so for years but still see finding permanent accommodation as their aim. Support for people who come from outside of the UK is limited: when looking for accommodation, rough sleepers need to demonstrate that they are from the local area, so for example even if you came from Southwark you would be unlikely to be eligible for help in Westminster; if you came from outside London or outside the UK, the chances of you being able to access council support are tiny.
The number of homeless people are on the increase mainly because of the shortage of social housing as private rental is so expensive and beyond the means of people who are on the street for whatever reason. Its frustrating that there are so many empty properties that could be used. There is a large office block on the North Circular road that has been empty for at least fifteen years why can't this be knocked down and flats built? You could get a lot of properties on that footprint and house a lot of people but it seems it better to leave it empty and let it get vandalised.
There should be some sort of process that if any properties( both residential and commercial) have been empty for a considerable amount of time then they local authority should have the power to compulsory purchase and convert it to social or affordable housing
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