In collaboration with the City of London Corporation, we are pleased to announce the opening of a state-of-the-art Rough Sleeping Assessment Centre in the heart of the Square Mile. This residential service, operated by Thames Reach, marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to end rough sleeping in the City of London.

Funded by the City of London Corporation, the centre provides 14 short-stay beds to rough sleepers, offering a safe and supportive environment for individuals with complex needs. Our dedicated team will deliver round-the-clock support, 365 days a year, working closely with health and social care providers to establish pathways away from rough sleeping and into permanent accommodation.

Situated within the grounds of the Church of Holy Sepulchre on Snow Hill Court, the assessment centre occupies a former school building that has been meticulously refurbished with the specific needs of the individuals we support in mind.

Bill Tidnam, Chief Executive at Thames Reach, expressed his enthusiasm for the new facility, stating, “The opening of this assessment centre represents a significant step forward in our mission to provide tangible support to those experiencing homelessness in the City. By collaborating closely with the City of London Corporation, we can offer individuals sleeping rough a credible local solution, accelerating the process of assessment and intervention.”

In addition to the new assessment centre, Thames Reach works tirelessly alongside the City Corporation to address homelessness and rough sleeping in the Square Mile. Through commissioned outreach services, we strive to identify and support individuals who are rough sleeping, ensuring that they don’t have to stay more than one night on the streets.

Floating support involves a named keyworker building a relationship with a vulnerable resident that will help them to learn to live an independent life. Its aim is to help people avoid hospital admissions, having to rely on social care services, or end up in the criminal justice system.

Run by Thames Reach, the Hounslow Reach service is available to all Hounslow residents aged 18 and over who are vulnerable because they have additional needs, such as mental or physical health conditions or a learning disability.

London Borough of Hounslow commissioned Thames Reach to run this service after a competitive tendering process.

You can find out if the service could help you by contacting the Targeted Support Team within Community Solutions at FSTargetedSupport@hounslow.gov.uk or calling 020 8583 2211. The team will get in touch with you to understand the support you need. People can also visit Hounslow Reach to find out more about the service at Hounslow’s Community Hubs at the following times:

– Mondays 10am – 1pm: Hounslow House, Ground floor, TW3 3EB

– Tuesdays 2pm – 5pm: Feltham Assembly Hall, Hounslow Road, TW14 9DN

– Thursdays 1pm – 4pm: Feltham Library, High Street, TW13 4GU.

Bill Tidnam, Chief Executive at Thames Reach, said: “At Thames Reach, we are very conscious of the vital role that floating support can play in helping people fulfil their potential to live independent lives and participate fully in society. We are grateful to Hounslow for giving us the opportunity to bring our 25 years of experience in this work to the borough and we look forward to working with local communities to build a service that meets their needs.

Councillor Samia Chaudhary, Hounslow Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Transformation, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Thames Reach to our family of commissioned services in Hounslow. To have such a fantastic organisation offering support to Hounslow residents fills me with confidence that first-rate support will be available to anyone who needs it.

“The team is already doing fantastic work across the borough and I look forward to working with them further on the excellent Hounslow Reach project. Their presence will make such a difference to our most vulnerable residents’ wellbeing.”

Released on 31 January, the CHAIN Quarterly Report for rough sleeping in London (October-December 2023) exposes a concerning reality: outreach teams recorded 4389 individuals sleeping rough during this period, rising 8% from the previous quarter and marking a significant 23% increase from the same timeframe in 2022. 

Other key statistics are as follows: 

– 2,283 people were recorded as sleeping rough for the first time. This is the second highest quarterly figure ever reported and represents a huge annual increase of 34% and a 9% increase on the previous quarter. 

– The number of people classed as ‘living on the streets’ was at its highest ever quarterly level, at 560, having grown by 24% compared to the same period last year. 

– The percentage of people from outside the UK found rough sleeping in this period was higher than in the previous quarter. 

These findings reinforce the growing need for outreach teams that are well-equipped to engage with both new rough sleepers and those already living on the streets.  

Furthermore, outreach teams need access to accommodation that can effectively support individuals with diverse needs, particularly those from outside the UK. The City and Lambeth Assessment Centres, operated by Thames Reach, play a crucial role in this regard, serving as initial points of support for those transitioning off the streets. 

Focusing on prevention is also pivotal to understanding why people are spending at least one night on the streets and how this can be avoided. Hounslow Reach, a new prevention service delivered by Thames Reach in the London Borough of Hounslow, exemplifies important prevention measures such as providing advice and support to individuals at risk of losing their homes. 

At Thames Reach, we are committed to continue working with local authorities, the GLA, and fellow charities to implement effective solutions and prevent further escalation of this crisis.  

Our Director of Services, Kristian Draper, notes “The increasing number of people rough sleeping is a cause for concern. We’re also noticing shifts in the patterns of rough sleeping, making it crucial for us, as a sector, to ensure that our resources are directed to where they are most needed. This involves providing effective services for those on the streets and collaborating to offer quick alternatives to help them move away from rough sleeping. 

“At the same time, we must use this and other data to come up with innovative solutions and allocate resources to prevent people from needing to sleep rough and support them in quickly and permanently leaving homelessness behind.” 

Read this and other CHAIN reports here.

We’re pleased to share the assessment reports produced by the Rough Sleeping Advisory Panel—a collaboration of leading experts from local government and homelessness charities, working together to scrutinise, support, and challenge progress on the Government’s Ending Rough Sleeping for Good Strategy.

Thames Reach led the recovery and intervention sub-group alongside Housing Justice, contributing insights on achievements and areas that still require attention. Read the full report at https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/rough-sleeping-strategy-delivery-assessment-roundtable-recovery-and-intervention

The other sub-groups focused on prevention and transparent, joined-up systems. For a comprehensive view of progress and ongoing efforts in each of these areas, visit the links below:

• Prevention: https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/rough-sleeping-advisory-panel-prevention-sub-group-feedback

• Transparent, joined-up systems: https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/ending-rough-sleeping-good-progress-assessment-transparent-and-joined-system

The Thames Reach Annual Review 2022-23 is now available to read. The document details how we’ve been helping people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness in London, between April 2022 and March 2023. The review looks at the positive impact our work has had on the lives of people using our services, as well as providing information on approaches we’ve developed to better support vulnerable people.

This year’s review, with introductions by Chair of the Board Stephen Howard and Chief Executive Bill Tidnam, features case studies and interviews with staff members, volunteers, and with the people using our services.

For all this and more, take a look at the Thames Reach Annual Review 2022-23.

Today, we are officially launching our Thames Reach Annual Review 2021-22, highlighting the impact of the work our organisation has been doing between April 2021 and March 2022. The new document, with introductions by Chair of the Board Stephen Howard and Chief Executive Bill Tidnam, goes into detail on how our various services have ben helping homeless and vulnerable people across London, and features case studies and interviews and with staff members, volunteers, and with the people using our services.

For all this and more, take a look at the Thames Reach Annual Review 2021-22.

We have today published the Thames Reach Business Plan 2022-25, which will set the direction of our organisation over the next three years.

The new Business Plan will see us continue to focus on three main types of service aimed at ending rough sleeping: prevention, intervention, and recovery.

Our vision

Our vision remains a society where street homelessness is ended and nobody need sleep rough on the streets. In pursuit of this vision, our mission is to ensure that every person Thames Reach supports is able to find and sustain a decent home, build supportive relationships, and lead a fulfilling life.

Our services under the new Thames Reach Business Plan

The plan outlines a number of measures by which we will judge the impact of our work. A key of indicator of progress towards the fulfilment of our vision, as outlined in the Business Plan, is the number of people who sleep rough in London. We intend to double the size of our intervention services, such as hostels and outreach work, over the course of the next three years.

We will develop and disseminate new approaches to prevention. This includes the identification of peo­ple at risk, and ways of providing support without people becoming dependent upon it. We aim to become sector leaders in this area of work.

When it comes to our recovery services, we will judge their effectiveness through the number of people successfully moving on from using these services, as they journey on towards independent living.

Thames Reach Chief Executive speaks about the Business Plan

Thames Reach Chief Executive Bill Tidnam said: ‘The 2022-25 Business Plan outlines the direction of travel for Thames Reach over the next three years. It reiterates our commitment to the goal of ending rough sleeping in London and sets out our ambitious plans to support this work; the need for a new approach to prevention; as well as our intention of working with partners to increase our impact and the effectiveness of our services.’

To read the Thames Reach Business Plan 2022-25, click here.

Today, we are officially launching our Thames Reach Annual Review 2020-21, highlighting the impact of the work our organisation has been doing between April 2020 and March 2021. The new document, with introductions by Chair of the Board Stephen Howard and Chief Executive Bill Tidnam, goes into detail on how our various services have ben helping homeless and vulnerable people across London, and features case studies and interviews and with staff members, volunteers, and with the people using our services.

As well as features highlighting the work done by services such as STAR and Brokerage and Resettlement in Lambeth, the review also goes into detail on how our staff have adapted to meet the needs of the people we help through the height of the coronavirus pandemic, as we continued to provide essential services to vulnerable people, such as outreach work and running hostels. The document also covers the work we undertook as part of the Government’s Everyone In scheme, where we helped accommodate people sleeping rough in unused hotels during lockdowns.

For all this and more, take a look at the Thames Reach Annual Review 2020-21.