The Mayor of Newham hails the successes of Newham’s pioneering strategy to tackle rough sleeping.
Marking World Homeless Day this weekend, the Mayor of Newham hails the successes of Newham’s pioneering strategy to tackle rough sleeping.
Latest results covering March 2020 to May 2021 indicate that 94 per cent of rough sleepers accommodated by the Council have not been seen sleeping on the streets since.
Rokhsana Fiaz, Mayor of Newham, said:
“I know from personal experience how devastating it can be to lose your home. I am deeply proud of our people-focused, compassionate strategy that has helped keep 94 per cent of rough sleepers from returning to the streets.
“Here in Newham, we empower vulnerable people to make decisions about their own future while we support them with critical needs, like substance misuse, immigration status and Covid-19 vaccinations.
“Even one person sleeping rough is too many. It’s clear that our approach works - the Government could make a huge difference to thousands of lives by following our lead.”
Over the same period, Newham Council and our partners supported more than 650 rough sleepers. The official count this summer (July 2021) saw 11 rough sleepers in the borough, a decrease of 89 per cent compared with January 2019.
Additionally, our projects have:
- Registered 96 per cent of rough sleepers with a GP, up from lower than 20 per cent in recent years
- Delivered Covid-19 vaccinations to 60 per cent of rough sleepers
- Supported 205 rough sleepers to regularise their immigration status
- Engaged 84 rough sleepers on the Public Health England enhanced substance misuse pathway
Despite a historically low starting point in terms of rough sleeping provision, Newham’s results have been shortlisted for an LGC Award and, in 2020, the borough was commended by the then-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government for achieving the highest proportionate reduction in rough sleeping in the UK.