The number of people sleeping rough in London has increased by half since March last year, homelessness charity the Simon Community claimed this week.
The charity's winter headcount last week found 302 people sleeping on the streets in the Camden, Westminster, Southwark, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, City and Tower Hamlets areas. This was a rise from the 266 people found sleeping rough in the charity's last headcount, in April 2002, and the 304 counted in March 2001.

The charity said the government must urgently invest in more affordable housing for London.

But a spokeswoman for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said its figures showed the government had met its target to cut rough sleeping by two-thirds.

ODPM figures published in September were "pretty similar" to the Simon Community figures at 302 and 321, she said, blaming low previous headcounts for the 50% difference in the figures.

The government will spend £20m this year on voluntary sector services for rough sleepers in London, she said.

  • Charity Safe in the City published a report on preventing youth homelessness by using "clusters" of preventative schemes this week. See Safe in the City: A Practical Approach to Youth Homelessness at www.safeinthecity.org.uk.

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    Housing Today