Supporting rough sleepers in Westminster

It is no secret that Westminster faces the greatest rough sleeping challenge of any local authority in the country. We see more rough sleepers than the next four highest London boroughs combined. But this is not a challenge of our own making. The vast majority of those who find themselves on Westminster’s streets come from beyond our city.

 We have seen a significant rise of 320% in the last year of EEA nationals sleeping rough in Westminster, who have no recourse to public funds and therefore cannot easily access our hostels. Ultimately, fewer than 3% of Westminster rough sleepers identify Westminster as a place where they last had a home.

 The reasons why these people find themselves in this desperate situation are extremely complex. But it is our responsibility as a Local Authority to help those who do find themselves on Westminster’s streets to tackle the challenges in their own lives and get back off the street. We take this responsibility extremely seriously. And we have a remarkably good record, given the challenges we face.

We see more rough sleepers than the next four highest London boroughs combined.  

It often goes unreported and unrecognised that Westminster Council is extremely effective at rapid response. Of those people new to the streets in Westminster, 97% who engage with our service are helped off and stay off the streets for good. This is very important, because the longer a person spends on the streets, the more dangerous it is for them and the wider community. Despite our successes, the challenge remains substantial and there is always more work to do.

 We need to recognise that many residents remain concerned about the impact of anti-social behaviour on streets, which is perceived, often wrongly, to be linked to rough sleeping. In the last year, we have seen a concerning rise in anti-social behaviour on our streets, such as begging, drug-taking, fouling and worse. We also take these issues extremely seriously.

The nature of these challenges means that the approach to anti-social behaviour and rough sleeping must be coordinated between Westminster Council, the Metropolitan Police and other stakeholders. We continue to invest more than ￡6.5m every year in services which protect and help the most vulnerable to move safely off the streets - the highest investment of any Local Authority in England.

However, to be effective it is vital that we have a strong relationship with the Metropolitan Police. We are doing this through our Integrated Street Engagement Unit. This pioneering unit brings together council services with local charities and the police to provide direct and coordinated advice and support to those on our streets in the day-time. The joint team have engaged nearly 1,500 people so far, which has resulted in referrals into rehabilitation, plus some arrests and the seizing of weapons.

This is real action to protect our communities and residents from harm. But everything we do on rough sleeping and with the daytime street population starts with supporting the vulnerable people who find themselves in a difficult life situation.

 We invest more than ￡6.5m every year in services to help the most vulnerable to move safely off the streets

That is why I would like to finish by noting Westminster Council’s new partnership – this time with the public. Our “Chat, App, Tap” campaign is designed to encourage people to give responsibly and help people off the streets for good. We know that people want to help those less fortunate than themselves, but it can be difficult to know how to give meaningful support. That is why we’ve identified three simple and effective steps:

Step 1. CHAT: Whether a smile, wave or conversation, acknowledging someone who is sleeping rough can make a huge difference boost individuals’ self-esteem.

 Step 2. APP: You can alert local outreach teams via Streetlink (using their app or website), who will try to connect with those you are worried about.

Step 3. TAP: We have launched “TAP London” giving points which allow individuals to use their contactless card to give ￡3 directly to the London Homeless Charities Group.

 Westminster Council also remains focused on empowering stakeholders to take an active role in addressing rough sleeping in Westminster. Rough sleeping is a real challenge for Westminster, but by working together we can made a real, lasting difference to people’s lives.

 Ian Adams, Cabinet Member for Public Protection & Licensing, Westminster City Council (c) 2019