The Mayor of London is to fund the creation of 903 new longer-term homes for homeless Londoners, ready to be occupied by spring next year.

Sadiq Khan is using a £93.4m grant from Government to provide accommodation and support for people currently living in hotels, hostels or other supported housing. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “A secure, long-term home should be a basic right for every Londoner, but a decade of austerity and the economic crisis created by the pandemic means far too many people have found themselves on the street or in temporary accommodation.

“My teams and their charity partners are working around the clock to help the most vulnerable people to work towards a life off the street – but this is only possible if there is high quality, affordable accommodation available at the end of their journey. The projects I’m supporting today will create the homes our fellow Londoners deserve and ensure they have access to the support they need to rebuild their lives.

“There is still much more to do to tackle rough sleeping which will require greater support from the Government. This includes better protection for London’s private renters, increased funding to keep providing hotel accommodation for as long as it’s required, and immigration support for rough sleepers who are non-UK nationals or have no recourse to public funds.” 

Enfield Council Leader, Cllr Nesil Caliskan, stressed: “Enfield Council has worked tirelessly to support homeless people and to secure suitable accommodation for them, particularly in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic . 

“Despite significant pressure on our finances, we will continue our engagement, support and advice and work with our partners to reduce rough sleeping in Enfield. 

“This will be through a combination of improvements to the private rental sector, the establishment the Council’s ethical lettings agency known as Enfield Let, and the provision of high-quality, affordable and safe accommodation with welcomed financial assistance from the Mayor of London. In addition, we will work to strengthen residents’ ability to remain housed through support and training.”

Redbridge Council Leader, Cllr Jas Athwal, said: "We welcome this funding from the Mayor of London's Office. In Redbridge we've shown tremendous commitment, effort, and care in supporting as many rough sleepers as possible off the streets during the pandemic. I’m extremely proud that we’ve been able to give all local rough sleepers a roof over their heads and respite from the serious health risks they would otherwise be exposed to on the streets. 

"We're grateful that our calls for urgent funding have been heard on this occasion. At the same time, long-term support and funding from central government is absolutely vital if we're to achieve our aspirations of tackling the root causes of homelessness and rough sleeping."

Photo by Ed Yourdon, Wikimedia commons.