Rough sleeping
Rough sleeping isn’t just the most visible form of homelessness, it’s the most devastating.
It’s cold. Isolating. Brutal. Dangerous. Traumatic. For any Londoner going through it, it’s an emotionally and physically painful experience, and the long-term impact on health and future quality of life can be severe.
Why are there so many people rough sleeping in London?
In the past decade, the number of people rough sleeping in London has surged, rising by around 20% year on year. 2023-24 saw an all-time high, with nearly 12,000 people sleeping on the streets.
This isn’t right. The high cost of living in London, combined with a reliance on expensive and limited private rental options (thanks to a lack of social housing), is pushing people onto the streets. We urgently need to focus more on preventing homelessness before it starts. Read more about homelessness in London here.
Helping people off the streets is the first critical step to giving them a chance to rebuild their lives. So when we have the opportunity to help someone, we grab it with both hands.
In 2023/24, we helped over 750 Londoners off the streets and into our crisis accommodation
We create a safe space, we listen carefully and we’re gentle – but we work fast and hard behind the scenes and we keep our eye on the ultimate goal – doing everything we can to end homelessness for the person in front of us.
The best feeling when I came to Single Homeless Project was having that first shower. It immediately put me into a positive frame of mind. Some days, I’d even have three showers. Being fresh and ready for the next thing is very motivating and such a good feeling.
How do our rough sleeping teams work?
- Outreach – We work directly with Londoners on the streets and focus on getting people into safe, secure accommodation where they can start rebuilding their lives. Many people who’ve been rough sleeping long-term are understandably cautious, often because of negative experiences with services in the past. We take the time to build trust – sometimes over weeks, even months – getting to know and supporting them for as long as it takes to get them off the streets.
- Hubs and assessment centres – These short-term hostels offer immediate warmth and safety. Once someone is settled, our expert teams assess their needs and work with other services and organisations to address these, from mental and physical health issues to immigration, financial and legal help. These hubs act as a stepping stone to longer-term accommodation, including our supported housing. We connect those re-housed in the community with tenancy support services to prevent homelessness from happening again.
- Housing First – We provide a Housing First approach for long-term entrenched rough sleepers, providing secure and safe housing without pre-conditions, alongside intensive wrap-around support. Find out more about our Housing First work here.
- Cold Weather Shelters – When winter hits, we expand our existing services and open temporary shelters to get even more people off the streets. During severe cold weather, we’re ready to act quickly, setting up emergency shelters at a moment’s notice. Last winter, we partnered with local councils and community spaces to bring warmth and safety to hundreds more rough sleepers during dangerous weather.
Homelessness is an experience, not a forever. And with the right support, it can be ended.
You can help Londoners off the streets
If you see someone sleeping rough in London, you can help by sending an alert on the StreetLink website. All you need is the time and location.
This sends an alert to local outreach services, who will try to find the person, assess their needs and help them to find the support and accommodation that is right for them.
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