Data from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) released earlier this year showed that rough sleeping is becoming more entrenched in the capital, with more people sleeping intermittently on the streets and fewer people sleeping rough for the first time.
The Chain database also showed that the number of overall rough sleepers in Lambeth has significantly reduced from 122 people bedding down in November 2023 to 78 in November 2024.
The latest update on rough sleeping in Lambeth emerged as the council lifted its most recent Severe Emergency Weather Protocol (SWEP) earlier this week.
The SWEP policy is activated when the Met Office forecasts temperatures of zero degrees Celsius or below. In Lambeth, SWEP is also activated based on the “feels like” temperature forecast which gives a better indication about how the weather will actually feel outside. This underlines the council’s strong commitment to the SWEP provision being effective in reducing the risk of cold-related illnesses and deaths among its vulnerable rough sleeping population.
Operating under the ‘feels like’ principal means that this was the council’s sixth SWEP activation since November, with Lambeth having already successfully accommodated 77 individuals who would otherwise be sleeping rough during the first five. (Data for the most recent SWEP is still to be verified.)
Lambeth has a dedicated rough-sleeping outreach service that goes out seven days a week to support vulnerable rough sleepers. Severe cold weather significantly increases the risk of serious illness or death for rough sleepers and during SWEP the council’s outreach team carry out extra shifts to support individuals off the streets and into accommodation.
While the reduction in the number of rough sleepers can be partly attributed to SWEP and the extra accommodation made available through the Christmas shelter programme, Lambeth’s enhanced outreach team successfully supported individuals who had been Living on the Street (LOS) into secure accommodation during the period.
New strategy aims for further progress
Lambeth recently consulted on its new draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy which was informed by a Homelessness Review conducted in July 2024. The feedback from the consultation will be evaluated by the council’s Cabinet in the spring.
Councillor David Bridson, Deputy Cabinet Member for Planning Strategy, Investment and Housing Delivery said the recent CHAIN figures are a testament to the “tireless work of our outreach team who supported 18 individuals into safe accommodation via the SWEP in November alone.
“One of the main priorities of our draft Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy is to ensure that rough sleeping is prevented where possible and that when it does occur, it is rare, brief and non-recurrent.”
For many people who have lost their accommodation, rough sleeping is the only way they can access services. Lambeth’s outreach team’s aim is to find rough sleepers routes off the streets, which could include finding stable accommodation locally, or supporting them to return to other places where they have a local connection.
Long-term rough sleeping has a serious effect on both mental and physical health and individuals are often extremely vulnerable and reluctant to engage with local authorities, but the Lambeth team continue to work with them to earn their trust and support them with a move-on plan.
Cllr Bridson recalls a man he met who, until recently, had been effectively living on the streets. “Simon (not his real name) had been bedded down in Waterloo under the railway arches near the IMAX which is one of Lambeth’s rough sleeping hotspots.
“He had previously rejected all offers of SWEP accommodation but by building a relationship of trust, our dedicated Waterloo outreach worker was able to support him into a hostel, help him replace personal identification documents which had been stolen during his time living on the streets and he is now working towards acquiring accommodation in the private rented sector.”
If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough, please report this via StreetLink – this ensures each report is directed to the most appropriate outreach team, who will be on shift to support the person sleeping rough.
