A unique website showing services for homeless people across London by London Housing Foundation (LHF) in partnership with Homeless Link, has been re -launched today (April 5th) with brand new data for 2023
LHF’s Atlas was launched five years ago. On average over 200 people visit the site each month.
The Atlas is an interactive website that allows people to view service information, and statistics across London, in a specific borough or at a multi-borough level. Commissioners, policy makers and others working in the homelessness sector use the website to quickly access information about available services and the latest statistics on rough sleeping. The Atlas provides a unique overview of the volume and composition of homelessness services in London for people with experience of or at risk of sleeping rough.
Exclusive data launched today shows:
- There are over 12,000 spaces in hostels and supported housing in London’s homelessness sector. This accommodation is the main way people who have experienced rough sleeping are able to move off the streets. The volume of this accommodation has steadily increased since the Atlas was launched.
- There are now 25 Housing First projects accommodating and providing intensive support to almost 500 people who faced some of the most significant barriers to moving on from homelessness.
- There are 3,800 social rented homes across London, specifically allocated to former rough sleepers though the Clearing House service and Tenancy Sustainment Teams.
- The huge shift from communal sleeping spaces to individual rooms, provided by faith and voluntary winter shelters, has largely been sustained with 390 spaces provided across London.
Ian Brady, LHF Executive Chair said: “LHF are very encouraged to see that the use of the Atlas has increased this year with even more users accessing the site each month, as we continue to provide a unique overview of data including information unavailable from other sources. The Atlas highlights the work of the extensive network of dedicated homelessness services in the capital that provides 1000’s of people with support and accommodation day in, day out no matter how challenging the context.”
Rick Henderson, Chief Executive of Homeless Link, commented: “The Atlas is an invaluable resource for London’s local authorities and frontline services as they plan and deliver support for people experiencing homelessness in the capital. This year, the information is even more comprehensive than before. Having excellent, reliable data is critical to the efforts of the whole sector as we strive to end homelessness. “
Becky Rice, Project manager, added: “Once again it’s been great to work with the Information Team at Homeless Link and Tom Shirley from Illustrating Impact on the latest Atlas release. A new tool coming very soon to the Atlas is a map of Housing Options services where there are quick links to information for each borough including ‘Duty to Refer’ forms. In the meantime, we would encourage people to access our blogs for more insight and analysis on Atlas statistics”.
Some interesting stats .....
- The Atlas shows that there are more than 12,000 supported housing and hostel accommodation spaces in London for people or households without dependent children - and primarily those who are rough sleeping or at risk of rough sleeping.
- The areas with the highest number of accommodation spaces are; Westminster, Tower Hamlets, Lambeth, and Camden.
- The lowest numbers of bed spaces in such accommodation were in outer borough locations including Richmond upon Thames, Bexley, and Barnet.
- There are at least 150 different homelessness organisations providing support to people at risk of or experiencing rough sleeping in London.
- There are 42-day centres for people experiencing or at risk of rough sleeping across London.
- Three service providers have over 1,000 bedspaces – these are St Mungo’s Look Ahead and YMCA St Paul’s Group.
- St Mungo’s is the largest provider of outreach services providing many borough commissioned teams.
- Data collection methods and a glossary of definitions used in the Atlas are available on the site www.lhfatlas.org.uk.
