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Mayors

London Mayor Unveils Bold Plan to End Rough Sleeping

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a new action plan to tackle rough sleeping in the capital, promising to break the "vicious cycle" of street homelessness. The plan, backed by £17 million in funding, focuses on prevention and increasing the availability of rapid, sustainable routes away from the streets.

The Mayor's new approach seeks to transform the way London addresses rough sleeping, focusing on prevention and increasing the availability of housing-led routes out of rough sleeping. The plan includes:

  • Expanding the Homes off the Streets programme by refurbishing up to 500 empty homes, helping hundreds of people at immediate risk of rough sleeping
  • Delivering a new network of Ending Homelessness Hubs across the capital
  • Establishing a new rough sleeping prevention phone line
  • Putting more support workers and volunteers in community settings such as day centres and food banks, so support plans can be established for people to prevent them being forced to sleep on the streets

The plan is backed by £17 million in capital funding secured from the UK Government to open a new Ending Homelessness Hub and expand the Homes off the Streets programme.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Mayor's plan aims to end the current requirement for Londoners to be seen bedded down on the streets before they can access support by 2028
  • The plan includes a £17 million investment in capital funding from the UK Government to open a new Ending Homelessness Hub and expand the Homes off the Streets programme
  • The plan focuses on prevention and increasing the availability of rapid, sustainable routes away from the streets
  • The Mayor is committing to work closely with the Government, London Councils, and the sector to tackle the crisis, facilitated by the national investment and support needed to help turn things around
  • The Mayor has already delivered record funding to homelessness charities and service providers across the capital, with the City Hall rough sleeping budget increasing fivefold since he took office
  • Under the Mayor's leadership, around 18,000 people have already been helped off the capital's streets since 2016 through mayoral services alone, with 75% staying off the streets for good
  • The plan is backed by the national ambition to get Britain back on track to ending homelessness, with the Government committing to investing a record £1 billion in crucial homelessness services across the country this year

Statistics:

  • Rough sleeping has risen 58% in the last decade
  • 183,000 Londoners are now estimated to be homeless
  • One in every 21 children in London is now living in temporary accommodation
  • The City Hall rough sleeping budget is now five times bigger than the previous Mayor, at £44.8 million in 2025/26
  • 18,000 people have been helped off the capital's streets since 2016 through mayoral services alone, with 75% staying off the streets for good
  • The UK Government has committed to investing a record £1 billion in crucial homelessness services across the country this year

Sources:

  • Greater London Authority news release, "Mayor's new plan of action to end rough sleeping in London"
  • The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, speech to leaders from central and local government, the homelessness sector, and the Mayor's Lived Experience Advisory Group
  • Minister for Homelessness, Rushanara Ali, statement on the Mayor's action plan
  • Cllr Grace Williams, London Councils' Deputy Chair and Executive member for Housing and Regeneration, statement on the Mayor's action plan
  • Khora, from the Mayor's Lived Experience Advisory Group, statement on the Mayor's action plan
  • Latoya, from the Mayor's Lived Experience Advisory Group, statement on the Mayor's action plan
  • Emma Haddad, Chief Executive of St Mungo's, statement on the Mayor's action plan

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