Legal News

Homeless charity St Mungo’s has said that a sharp rise in the number of people sleeping rough in London has in part been fuelled by migration – and in recent years, immigration from Romania.

Online publisher 24Dash reports that London's annual rough sleeping statistics show that the number of those sleeping on the capital’s streets has increased by 16% over the last 12 months – and by 40% since 2011-2012.

The CHAIN Greater London report 2014-2015 reveals that a total of 7,581 people slept rough during 2014-15.

The data about people seen rough sleeping is compiled from figures supplied by outreach teams in London from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN), commissioned by the Greater London Authority (GLA).

Chief executive of St Mungo's Broadway, Howard Sinclair, said:

"The rise in the number of people seen sleeping rough is deeply concerning.

“This is a problem affecting many different groups – the number of people from the UK seen sleeping rough in 2014-15 increased by 9% to 3,212 people.

“But it is also clear that new groups of people are ending up on our capital's streets, who have very different stories and reasons for being there – with
migration from Romania being a significant driver in these most recent figures.

“We should be careful not to jump to conclusions on short-term trends – but we do know that traditional routes off the streets are often not available or appropriate for these groups.

“We believe that people living on the streets following migration is an issue
which requires a joined-up policy approach from the UK government and the European Union, as much as from local government.

Mr Sinclair raised the issue of homeless following migration at a European homelessness conference in Paris at the weekend.

“Our outreach teams – along with others – continue to offer personalised support to help people as quickly as possible, particularly the most vulnerable; including reconnecting someone back with their home area in the UK or in Europe,” he added.

“The No Second Night Out hubs commissioned by the GLA are an important part of this approach.

“Last year, 34% of new rough sleepers attended No Second Night Out (NSNO) – and 1,493 (86%) of these people were not seen rough sleeping again in the year.

“These figures, however, demand scrutiny beyond the stark headline numbers.

“Worryingly, they show that the number of people who've previously slept rough and are returning to the streets is rising, this year by 20%.

“We need to ask what more can be done for these people, what gaps need to be filled to prevent repeat homelessness.

“In addition, more must be done when people first seek help with a housing crisis,” said Mr Sinclair.

“The recent Supreme Court ruling means that councils must improve their response to homeless vulnerable people – and we hope this will reduce the number of people who are forced to sleep rough before they get the help they need.”

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