Unique website showing services for homeless people across London is updated for 2022 by London Housing Foundation in partnership with Homeless Link
LHF’s Atlas was launched four years ago. On average over 150 people visit the site each month.
The Atlas is an interactive website that allows people to view service information, and statistics across London, in a specific borough or at a multi-borough level. Commissioners, policy makers and others working in the homelessness sector use the website to quickly access information about available services and the latest statistics on rough sleeping as it provides a unique overview of the volume and composition of homelessness services in London for people with experience of or at risk of sleeping rough.
Exclusive data launched today shows:
- There are over 11,000 spaces in hostels and supported housing in London’s homelessness sector. This accommodation is the main way people who have experienced rough sleeping are able to move off the streets.
- There are now 24 Housing First projects accommodating and providing intensive support to almost 450 people who faced some of the most significant barriers to moving on from homelessness.
- There are 3,800 social rented homes across London, specifically allocated to former rough sleepers though the Clearing House service and Tenancy Sustainment Teams.
- The huge shift from communal sleeping spaces to individual rooms, provided by faith and voluntary winter shelters has been sustained with 347 rooms provided across London.
Ian Brady, LHF Executive Chair said:
“LHF are proud that the Atlas has become an established and trusted source of data used by local authorities, homelessness agencies and researchers. The insights provided highlight the work of the extensive network of dedicated homelessness services that LHF supports through our work”.
Rick Henderson, Chief Executive of Homeless Link, commented:
“The Atlas is an invaluable resource for London’s local authorities and frontline services as they plan and deliver support for people experiencing homelessness in the capital. This year, the information is even more comprehensive than before. Having excellent, reliable data is critical to the efforts of the whole sector as we strive to end homelessness. “
Becky Rice, Project manager, added:
“Once again it’s been great to work with the Information Team at Homeless Link and Tom Shirley from Illustrating Impact on the latest Atlas release. The site is fast and responsive; we will be adding a new tab to show trends data on key metrics in the coming months. In the meantime, we would encourage people to access our blogs for more insight and analysis on Atlas statistics”.
To access the Atlas go to www.lhfatlas.org.uk. See our regular Atlas blogs here https://lhfoundation.wpengine.com/atlas-blog/
- The Atlas shows that there are more than 11,000 supported housing and hostel accommodation spaces in London for people or households without dependent children – and primarily those who are rough sleeping or at risk of rough sleeping.
- The areas with the highest number of accommodation spaces are; Westminster, Tower Hamlets, Lambeth, and Camden.
- The lowest numbers of bed spaces in such accommodation were in outer borough locations including Richmond upon Thames and Barnet.
- There are at least 100 homelessness organisations providing support to people in London.
- Three service providers have over 1,000 bedspaces – these are St Mungo’s Look Ahead and YMCA St Paul’s Group.
- Nearly all London (27) boroughs commission a local service to provide the street outreach for people who are rough sleeping in their area. The other six boroughs rely on the GLA commissioned London Street Rescue (LSR) service for street outreach and are all in south East or outer East London.
- Thames Reach is commissioned to provide London Street Rescue. St Mungo’s is the largest provider of outreach services providing many borough commissioned teams.
For more information, pictures, interviews or quotes please contact mark@markwall.co.uk For more information about the LHF go to www.lhf.org.uk
