Sadiq launches winter rough sleeping campaign as ‘unbearable’ cost-of-living pressures force growing numbers of Londoners onto the streets

• Mayor launches his annual winter rough sleeping campaign as ‘unbearable’ cost-of-living crisis risks pushing more Londoners into homelessness
• With increasing numbers of rough sleepers facing a ‘perilous winter’, the Mayor urges every Londoner to consider donating a few pounds to the winter rough sleeping campaign
• Mayor exceeds manifesto target to deliver 1,000 new ‘move-on’ homes in his second term for Londoners sleeping rough, with over 1,500 new ‘move-on homes completed since 2021 
• Sadiq warns that current Government policy risks making ending rough sleeping ‘impossible’, with continued inaction on the cost of living and housebuilding, and a lack of protection from eviction forcing growing numbers of people to sleep rough on London’s streets 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today launched his annual winter rough sleeping fundraising campaign urging Londoners to join him in his mission to help end rough sleeping in London.

With the alarming rise in the cost-of-living worsening the capital’s crisis in rough sleeping, the Mayor is outlining how there has never been a more important time to support homelessness charities. City Hall is working with charity partner TAP London this winter to raise money for frontline homelessness services in the capital so that they can continue their life-saving work. Since 2017, Londoners have donated over £700,000 to nominated rough sleeping charities, helping to fund vital initiatives, projects and support services. 

Tackling rough sleeping in the capital has been a top priority for the Mayor since taking office. At £36.3m, the GLA rough sleeping budget in 2023/24 is now more than four times the £8.45m a year it was when Sadiq took office. The Mayor’s pioneering ‘In for Good’ principle has meant, following intervention from City Hall-funded services, more than 75 per cent of those who received support were not seen sleeping rough again. More than 16,000 rough sleepers have been helped off of the streets since Sadiq was elected Mayor in 2016.

Londoners can donate to the campaign at one of the TAP points across the capital or online [1]. There are 35 TAP points, including at Waterloo, Victoria, London Bridge and Liverpool Street stations. 

Londoners can also use the StreetLink website to connect people they see sleeping rough with local support services. [2]

Donations could provide a wide range of support: 

• £10 could cover the cost of a kettle and mugs for a person setting up home for the first time after sleeping rough.  
• £20 could help a rough sleeper to stay connected to their outreach worker with a smartphone.  
• £50 could cover two nights of accommodation for a rough sleeper in a lodgings scheme.  
• £500 could pay for two street outreach sessions per week, to locate and support people who are sleeping rough.  

Sadiq has today announced that more than 5,000 people sleeping rough in the capital have been helped into new homes through Mayoral-backed programmes since 2021. This includes over 1,500 ‘move-on’ homes funded by City Hall, smashing a manifesto commitment to deliver 1,000 such homes. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Many of us will be out this weekend finishing our Christmas shopping and seeing friends. For increasing numbers, however, this festive season will be one of despair, especially for those who face yet another perilous winter sleeping on the streets. So today, I ask every Londoner to consider if they can afford donating a few pounds to our winter rough sleeping campaign. This will ensure that homelessness charities can continue their life-saving work this winter.   

“Ending rough sleeping in the capital has been a top priority of mine ever since I took office, which is why I have quadrupled my rough sleeping budget and doubled down on efforts to help more people off the streets. I’m really pleased that as a result of City Hall’s programmes, 16,000 people have been taken off London’s streets, and more than 5000 people have a safe and secure home to call their own as they rebuild their lives and prepare for independent living.  

“However, the stark reality is that the cost-of-living crisis is putting unbearable strain on households across the country and in the capital, causing a conveyor belt of rough sleepers on our streets. Despite the huge amount of work being done in London, current national policy risks making ending rough sleeping impossible, which is why the Government must urgently act to give those sleeping rough homes and hope this winter.” 

Sadiq has delivered record funding to homelessness charities and service providers across the capital, including the Peter Bedford Scheme which has received £2.3m of mayoral funding from the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme (RSAP) to help more people sleeping rough rebuild their lives. This includes purchasing, repairing and refurbishing 21 homes in Newham, which has the highest rate of homelessness in England, to be used by former rough sleepers, and providing dedicated support for up to three years to help individuals maintain their tenancies and transition towards independent living.  

However, the Mayor is warning that current Government policy, and inaction on the cost of living, housebuilding and protection from eviction, is not only driving more people onto the streets, but also risks making his core mission to end rough sleeping in the capital for good an impossibility. 

Latest analysis shows an alarming rise in rough sleeping across the country, including in London. The latest quarterly figures from the City Hall-funded Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) shows the number of people sleeping rough in London has risen by 12 per cent in the past year alone. [3]

The Mayor is repeating his calls on Government to urgently: 

• Immediately freeze private sector rents - saving the average London renter nearly £3,000 over two years – and finally act to immediately end no-fault evictions. 
• Investing in new social and genuinely affordable housing, starting with an immediate £2.2bn boost in new supply. 
• Provide London with £20m in funding for emergency accommodation this winter. 
• Help halt the flow of people onto the streets, by strengthening the social security safety net and stopping refugees and asylum seekers being pushed into homelessness by pausing evictions this winter. 
• Make more move-on homes available for those who have been on the streets. 

The Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, said: “I'm thankful that the Mayor of London is launching his winter rough sleeping fundraising campaign this year. Please donate even a small amount if you can – it all does really help.

“Already, his Rough Sleeping Accommodation programme is making such a huge difference to many lives in our borough since our collaboration started in 2021. With the GLA, our joint purpose is to end rough sleeping in Newham and London for good.

“However, right now homelessness is on the rise. The stark reality is that more people face the prospect of being forced onto the streets because of the cost-of-living crisis, rising rents and the way no-fault evictions are used.

“That’s why life-saving projects like the Peter Bedford scheme in Newham is so vital in offering rough sleepers comfort and the dignity they deserve. So far, 21 local people in Newham have been given a lifeline through our combined efforts with the GLA. It’s all part of our wider strategy to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place. But the Government must step up and help us deal with the housing crisis in London and ongoing emergency”.

Clare Norton, CEO of Peter Bedford Housing Association, said: “Peter Bedford is delighted to have housed more people in Newham who so urgently need a secure home with the support of the GLA, SASC and Newham Council. These high quality homes give people a solid base to continue their recovery journey, to forge their lives away from homelessness, and build their stake in society. This time of year is really so very hard for people sleeping rough, and we support the Mayor of London as he raises funds to help people out of homelessness."

Mark Bickford, Chief Executive of Social and Sustainable Capital (SASC) said, “SASC is pleased to support the Mayor of London’s winter rough sleeping campaign as the number of homeless people in London continues to rise. We are pleased that the Mayor has met his pledge to provide 1,000 new ‘move on’ homes, and organisations like Peter Bedford Housing Association do fantastic work in this area. In 2022, we provided £3.7m of investment to enable PBHA to expand their portfolio into Newham and deliver vital housing and support services to help vulnerable adults who have been homeless address their challenges and obtain essential support to help them move on to live independently.” 

Amanda Dubarry, Chief Executive of Your Place, said: “With demand for our services reaching an unprecedented high in the community, Your Place are pleased to support the Mayor of London’s rough sleeping campaign. As a service providing much-needed accommodation and tailored support to people facing homelessness, we believe that this investment across services and housing will make a crucial difference to people most vulnerable to losing their home in these challenging times.”

ENDS