Rough sleeping services in Westminster given major boost

Council services to help rough sleepers off the streets in Westminster have received a major boost with £2.38m funding from national government as part of its Rough Sleeping Initiative.

The money from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will be spent on services to help support rough sleepers across Westminster including:

• Continued funding for the borough’s Housing First initiative
• Maintaining funding for a specialist hostel and services for women escaping domestic and sexual abuse
• Establishing a new assessment centre in Harrow Road, that means people currently rough sleeping can to be assessed and supported into accommodation and other services
• Employing up to 10 new members of staff including two Modern Day Slavery specialists, six new outreach workers, a soup-run co-ordinator and a street population co-ordinator
• A new clinical health unit at one of Westminster’s hostels with dedicated nurses, GPs and occupational therapists to treat rough sleepers.
• A homelessness prevention unit at a local mental health hospital to help discharged patients avoid ending up sleeping on the streets

Cllr Heather Acton, Westminster City Council Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Licensing said: “Westminster has the UK’s highest number of rough sleepers and as the heart of the capital we see new rough sleepers arriving every day. We already spend more than any other council on supporting rough sleepers and are really pleased to have secured this money which will enable us to help even more people find a route away from the streets.

“We also recently launched a Hidden Network campaign asking people to donate to charities which support rough sleepers in Westminster rather than give to individuals on the street, so long-term support can be offered to those who need our help the most.” 

Find out more about our Hidden Network campaign at www.westminster.gov.uk/rough-sleeping