The newest CHAIN Data has been released, which highlights how many people are sleeping rough in London.
It shows progress has been made, but we still have a long way to go.
This Winter, there were 3570 people recorded as sleeping rough in London and 20% of these people are in Westminster where The Connection runs its day centre.
This figure is down by 2% from September. Clearly, things are moving in the right direction. This decrease is likely to be due to Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP). SWEP was activated multiple times over the winter period as a result of the extreme winter conditions we experienced in London, meaning all people sleeping rough should be offered emergency accommodation by the local council.
Because of SWEP, we can’t be sure if this decrease has resulted in any long-term change for people sleeping rough in London. This is because there were 300 emergency/temporary outcomes including SWEP and winter shelters compared to just 26 in the previous quarter. This shows we are capable of supporting people sleeping rough in a timely manner if the right support is available, which shows hope for the future. Even if some people have been supported to leave the streets for good it still shows that thousands were left to struggle in the cold.
Of course for many, the journey out of homelessness is not a linear one. This journey can be long, and it’s not an easy path. But we stick with people and we don’t give up in the face of high demand as shown in CHAIN Data.
This round of CHAIN data also highlights that the total amount of people sleeping rough has increased by 21% since this time last year. Dramatic increases like this have likely occurred due to a combination of factors like the cost of living crisis and the end of ‘Everyone In’.
As well as an increase in homelessness, we’re also seeing people facing multiple disadvantage are continuing to struggle. 65% of people sleeping rough in Westminster have mental health and/or addiction issues, often due to traumatic experiences which we centre in our work. This is both a cause and consequence of homelessness for many. There’s also been an increase in the number of women sleeping rough who now account for 21% of the population. This is upsetting to see but we are working to make sure better support is available as part of our Women’s Rough Sleeping Census. You can find out more about how we are improving provision for women here.
What can you do about this CHAIN Data?
The situation on London’s streets is worsening for many. You can help us bring people inside to a safe and warm space.
There are loads of ways to support our work from sharing this blog for awareness to donating.
We are also encouraging everyone who wants to end homelessness to help us ‘End it with Evidence’ by signing this petition.
We appreciate every bit of support we get and are grateful to all our supporters. Help us make London a city where no one sleeps rough on our streets.
