New rough sleeping figures released by Broadway

Overall the total number of people seen sleeping on the streets of London in 2009/10 rose by six per cent from the previous year.  However this was due to a rise in non UK rough sleepers, mainly from Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries . Where this group is excluded the number of people seen rough sleeping actually reduced by 3% in 2009/10. 

These figures are contained in the annual report on rough sleeping figures in London released today (19th July 2010) by the homelessness charity Broadway on behalf of the Government. 

The report, Street to Home Bulletin 2009/10. presents information about people seen rough sleeping by Outreach Teams in London and those who have accessed accommodation for rough sleepers in London in 2009/10.  This information is recorded on the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN), a database funded by Communities and Local Government and managed by the charity Broadway. 

The headline findings from the Street to Home Report 2009/10 include:

• 3673 people were seen rough sleeping in 2009/10, as opposed to 3472 the previous year
  
• 2828 people slept rough last year, excluding CEE nationals, a reduction from 2927 people the previous year
  
• 845 people (26%) were from Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007, a rise of 300 people from the previous year.
  
• 1744 people (47%) were seen just once on the streets in the year. 358 (10%) people were seen more than 10 times.
  
• 1921 people were helped off the streets by Outreach Teams during the year, either by being booked into accommodation or reconnected back place of origin.
  
• The proportion of young people seen rough sleeping remained low throughout the year - 9% were under 25. Only 3 people under 18 yrs of age were contacted. 
  

Outreach teams, commissioned by Local Authorities and the CLG, work during the day and at night across London contacting rough sleepers to help them off the streets. They contact those sleeping on the streets, on buses, in stairwells, in parks and a range of other locations.
 
The statistics in the report are based on information collected by outreach workers and recorded on the CHAIN system over a 12-month period. Outreach workers are experienced in working with homeless people and are able to judge whether or not someone is rough sleeping and how best to help them.

Richard Blakeway, Mayor's advisor on Housing and Chairman of the London Delivery Board, said: "London faces a considerable rough sleeping challenge, but we are encouraged that almost half of those who arrive on the streets are only sleeping rough for one night. The Mayor is already committed to ensuring that by the end of 2012 no one will live on the streets in London and no individual arriving on the streets will sleep out for a second night. The Mayor's London Delivery Board, set up to achieve this, has a genuine pan-London approach that works across borough boundaries:

"So far we've had considerable success helping even the most entrenched rough sleepers into accommodation, with three-quarters of long-term rough sleepers being helped off the streets.  But what this report shows is that we must take this work further, building on the work being piloted by local authorities, the voluntary sector and the United Kingdom Border Agency to ensure central and eastern European migrants who come to London find a way into work and a home, not left to become destitute on the streets."

Broadway Chief Executive Howard Sinclair said: ‘Homelessness organisations, the government and many members of the public agree that nobody should need to live on the streets in the 21st Century. Working with migrants from CEE countries is a key challenge in ending rough sleeping. The overall rise is accounted for by people from Central and Eastern Europe who are unable to claim welfare benefits and have no money to stay in hostels’.
 
 
Background
 
Link to reports on the website: http://www.broadwaylondon.org/CHAIN/NewsletterandReports

Over half of England’s rough sleepers are found in London. In 2008 the Mayor of London made a commitment to end rough sleeping in London by the end of 2012. The London Delivery Board spearheads this work. The Board comprises senior people from a range of government departments, NHS London, the probation service, the Metropolitan Police, key local authorities and the homelessness sector.  The London Delivery Board has defined an end to rough sleeping:
 
'By the end of 2010 no one will live on the streets of London, and no individual arriving on the streets will sleep out for a second night.'
 
CHAIN is an invaluable tool for outreach workers in joining-up and monitoring their work. Information from CHAIN assists the London Delivery Board in understanding the problem of rough sleeping, taking steps to prevent and respond to rough sleeping and monitoring progress towards the target of ending rough sleeping.
 
Outreach teams, commissioned by Local Authorities and the CLG, work during the day and at night across London contacting rough sleepers to help them off the streets. They contact those sleeping on the streets, on buses, in stairwells, in parks and a range of other locations.
 
The statistics in this report are based on information collected by outreach workers and recorded on the CHAIN system over a 12-month period. Outreach workers are experienced in working with homeless people and are able to judge whether or not someone is rough sleeping and how best to help them.
 
EU expansion in 2004 and 2007 enabled people from the following countries to come to the UK to work: Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria. These are referred to as Central and Eastern European (CEE) Countries in this report. People from these countries are subject to various restrictions and most of those rough sleeping from these countries are not entitled to welfare benefits.

Broadway is a London based  charity providing support to homeless people as they make their journey from street to home www.broadwaylondon.org