Rough sleeping in London could be ended by introducing New York-style housing reforms and a major expansion of low-cost rented accommodation, a new report said today.
The report, unveiled in Parliament by the Communities Secretary Sajid Javid, also calls for an easing of welfare restrictions that make it harder for the homeless to find places to live.
It adds that further changes, including a new legal duty for local authorities to prevent homelessness, are also needed to stop more people suffering the “devastating” consequences of a life on the streets.
These can include mental health problems and substance misuse, as well as a breakdown of family life, children being raised in poverty and death at an average age of only 47.
Official statistics show rough sleeping in London and other parts of England on the rise with an estimated 4,136 people nationally bedding down outside during 2016.
That was 16 per cent up on the previous year’s tally and double the 2010 figure. London rough sleepers accounted for almost a quarter of the national total with 960 rough sleepers last year, although charities claim the true level of homelessness in the capital is far higher.
The Government has said it is investing £550 million by 2020 to tackle the problem while Mayor Sadiq Khan has also pledged action.
Today’s report, by the Centre for Social Justice, says however that a new “Housing First” strategy offers the best route to success.
It says the system, under which the homeless are given accommodation and personalised support before sorting out problems such as alcohol or drug abuse, works better than the existing approach of requiring people to be “housing ready” before they are given a roof.
“One study in New York reported that 88 per cent of chronically homeless people were stably housed after five years,” it says.
The report says a fund of £110 million is needed for such a system. It also proposes addressing the lack of low-cost rented accommodation, a particular cause of homelessness in London, and relaxing limits on welfare payments to the homeless.
