The LHF sponsored sixth annual “Atlas of Services for Homeless People in London” has been launched.

The Atlas is put together each by the LHF to examine how the sector is changing.  It gives a unique view of what is going on with homelessness service providers, commissioners and other support agencies.

The key points from this years work include:

• The number of providers continues to shrink slowly but steadily. This year we have seen a merger, a closure and a number of providers leaving the field, which now numbers 122 agencies.

• At the same time the number of hostel bed spaces has continued to grow, by nearly 2%. The number of floating support units has also grown by nearly 10%, though the number of support hours may not have grown in the same way.

This gives a view of a relatively healthy sector and cause for celebration.

But the anonymous contributors – a provider and a commissioner – who write in the Atlas are still concerned.  They predict a very difficult period ahead, with increasing risks for homeless people. They call for closer collaboration between commissioners and providers to reconfigure services and suggest that finding an effective mechanism for such collaboration in the current political environment may be the biggest challenge for the sector moving forward.

The Atlas is available on the LHF website on the publications page.  Go to https://https://lhfoundation.wpengine.com/sites/default/files/files/LHF%20Atlas%202013.pdf