Crisis responds to rise in London rough sleeping

Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive at Crisis, said:  “Any rise in the number of people sleeping rough on our streets is a disgrace. One person sleeping rough on the streets is one too many, let alone more than 2,600 in three months.

“Behind these statistics are thousands of desperate people, sleeping in doorways, bin shelters, stations and parks, leaving them extremely vulnerable to violence and abuse, and taking a dreadful toll on their physical and mental health.

“Every day, our frontline workers hear from clients who say they are being intimidated or abused, causing them mental health problems and even suicidal thoughts. No one should be sleeping rough on our streets – especially when we know that homelessness is not inevitable.

“As mayors across the country are making pledges to end rough sleeping, we need the Mayor of London do the same. We have come close to eradicating rough sleeping in the capital in the past - now it’s time we put an end this tragedy for good.”

ENDS

 Background

• There were 2,659 rough sleepers seen on the streets of London during Jul-Sep 2017. This is a 3% rise since the last quarter and a 1% rise since the same period last year.
• Of these, 1,148 were new rough sleepers which is a 5% drop since last year and a 8% fall since the same period last year
• 52% of those seen by outreach services had mental health support needs.