Mayor of London launches winter rough sleeping campaign

The Mayor of London has launched his winter rough sleeping campaign.

The campaign urges Londoners to help end rough sleeping in London.

City Hall is working with charity partner TAP London this winter to raise money for frontline homelessness services in London.

Londoners have donated over £700,000 to nominated rough sleeping charities since 2017.

The GLA rough sleeping budget in 2023/24 is now more than four times the £8.45m a year it was when Sadiq Khan was elected in 2016. More than 16,000 rough sleepers have been helped off the streets since then. More than 75 per cent of those who received support were not seen sleeping rough again.

Londoners can donate to the campaign at one of 35 TAP points across the capital or online. TAP points can be found at Waterloo, Victoria, London Bridge and Liverpool Street stations.

People are also able to use the StreetLink website to connect people they see sleeping rough with local support services.

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.”

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”.

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