A new scheme called Housing First has been launched and is currently being delivered by Thames Reach and Croydon Council. The aim of the scheme is to get people who are at risk of homelessness into their own accommodation.

The scheme, which was initially set up in 2018, is aimed at supporting people with a history of sleeping rough to settle into their own accommodation, and get the immediate support they need to prevent them returning to the streets.

Through this scheme, 20 people will receive a key to their own flat, and will be supported by a Thames Reach key worker who will help tenants to access specialist support for their needs. This may include access to local health, skills, benefits and employability services.

Key workers will also support the tenants to source furniture, helping them to create a home where they feel comfortable and can take steps towards independent living.  

Jakub Turek, Senior Practitioner at Thames Reach who manages the service said;

“So far, five people, including one person who was referred from Thames Reach’s Social Impact Bond (SIB) service have moved into refurbished accommodation across Croydon.

“The current tenants have quickly become settled and are excited to explore their options for the future, whether that’s volunteering, rehab, training or employment.

“Our key workers are a vital part of the journey, and support people using a flexible step by step approach, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to progress at a pace which is right for them.

“Accommodation isn’t the whole solution, but it is part of the solution in helping people move away from homelessness, and through Housing First we will ensure the tenants have access to a range of support services, giving them the opportunity to move forward with their lives”.

Kris Draper, Area Director at Thames Reach said:

“It’s vital that rough sleepers are able to rapidly move into and keep accommodation where they can feel safe”

“Five more people are now in the process of accessing their own accommodation through Housing First, and we are looking forward to working with more people and helping them to make positive changes

“This service would not be a success without our partnership with Croydon Council so we would like to thank them for their support and assistance”.  

Housing First is one of many ways that Thames Reach and Croydon Council are helping people to move away from homelessness.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG)  has today released their official rough sleeping statistics for Autumn 2018.

The numbers are gathered annually in England using street counts which are carried out by charities and local authorities on a single representative night. The leading statistic shows that 4,677 people were found to be sleeping rough on that evening, a 2% reduction from Autumn 2017 when the number was 4,751.

The figures show that London accounted for 27% of all rough sleepers, up from 24% last year, showing that rough sleeping in the capital is still very much on the rise.

Figure counts from the evening in Autumn 2018 also show that the number of EU nationals sleeping rough in London is at an all-time high, with this group accounting for 22% of all rough sleepers – up from 16% last year.

The statistics are significantly higher for this group in London, with EU rough sleepers accounting for 48% of the total count in the capital.

Catherine Parsons, Director of Operations at Thames Reach, said: “Any reduction is encouraging, and shows the initial impact of the additional resources and co-ordination through the rough sleeping initiative.

“Although the number has fallen slightly at a national level, the numbers of those sleeping rough in London continue to rise, an increase largely driven by people from the EU and new rough sleepers.

The London figures are reflected in the quarterly CHAIN data, published today. These figures can be accessed here.

You can read the MHCLG statistics here.

The latest statistics released by the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) for the period 1 October – 31 December 2018 has shown another rise in the number of people sleeping rough in London, rising 6% on the previous quarter and 25% on the same period in 2017.

The figures also show a very concerning rise in new rough sleepers, with the number of people new to streets 38% higher than the same period last year.

Catherine Parsons, Director of Operations at Thames Reach, said: “This worrying statistic demonstrates a need for more preventative services to ensure less people end up finding themselves on the streets.”

The data also shows that 83% of new rough sleepers were helped off the streets after just one night, highlighting the good work being done by GLA commissioned services, as well as the impact of additional resources recently allocated to support this service.

People from Central and Eastern Europe now represent 32% of all rough sleepers in London.

“As we have said before, there are growing concerns for this group as many have very limited support options available to them,” said Catherine.

“We want to work with central government to identify new options for EU rough sleepers and to do more to prevent people ending up on the streets in the first place.”