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Westminster launches its new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy

Westminster City Council’s new strategy prioritises prevention and personalised support.   

The council has launched its new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy that sets out how the council intends to proactively prevent homelessness. For the next five years, the council commits to:  

  1. Early Prevention: To make support in the community easy to find and readily available to support people at risk of losing their homes.  
  2. Crisis Response: To quickly provide relevant and practical advice to people facing homelessness. 
  3. Rehousing and Recovery: To improve re-housing and recovery support within quality accommodation. 
  4. Resettlement: To provide personalised and targeted re-settlement support.  

The launch is set against the backdrop of a UK-wide housing crisis that is putting significant pressure on many Westminster households. The Westminster Homelessness Review found that there were 34% more households in housing need in 2022/23 and more than 3,600 households living in temporary accommodation.  Westminster has the highest numbers of people experiencing rough sleeping in the country due to its central location, as well as structural and personal factors such as lack of affordable housing, relationship breakdown and poor health.  

This is an ambitious plan that will build upon previous successes and puts individuals and communities at the heart of it. The council will utilise key public services such as youth centres and GP surgeries to spot those at risk of homelessness and get them the help they need sooner. It has been co-produced with people with lived experience that understand the challenges of those facing homelessness.  

Councillor Adam Hug, Leader of Westminster City Council said: “Homelessness and rough sleeping is a critical issue for the council. We recognise the need for collaboration both with people with lived experiences and partners across London to put an end to homelessness.  

“Our new strategy will engage people at the earliest possible point to prevent people from ending up on the streets and help those in the situation get off the streets permanently.” 

Councillor Liza Begum, Cabinet Member for Housing Services said: “Part of our commitment to creating Fairer Housing in Westminster is to address the root causes of homelessness. Homelessness and rough sleeping are huge issues for some of our residents and we’re aware that the situation requires meaningful change to address issues that lead to homelessness.  

“This strategy sets out how we intend to put people first through our interventions to help them avoid rough sleeping and stay in safe and affordable housing.” 

Notes to editor  

 

Published: 3 April 2025