Deputy Mayor for Housing, Tom Copley, has called upon the government to take more significant measures to address London's persistent issue of rough sleeping and homelessness.

In a letter addressed to Homelessness Minister Felicity Buchan MP, Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing, implored the government to "take immediate action before winter to prevent a further rise in rough sleepers on our streets."

The government has stated its commitment to allocate over £2 billion across three years to address the complex factors leading to homelessness and rough sleeping.

According to recent data from City Hall, outreach teams documented 3,272 individuals sleeping rough in London between April and June, marking a nine percent increase compared to the same period the previous year. Within this count, nearly half, i.e., 1,614 individuals, were experiencing rough sleeping for the first time.

New data covering the period from July to September of this year is expected to be unveiled later on Tuesday.

Mr. Copley emphasized to Ms. Buchan, "The data released by my team this week demonstrates a deeply concerning surge in rough sleeping across nearly all London areas. This includes increases among those exiting Home Office accommodations designated for asylum seekers, where it is known that newly recognized refugees face difficulties in finding alternative housing. Behind these statistics lie genuine tales of human suffering and resilience."

The Deputy Mayor urged the government to act to "prevent newly acknowledged refugees and asylum seekers from becoming homeless," which could be achieved by "extending the transition period for newly recognized refugees from 28 days to 56 days, in accordance with local authorities' responsibilities under the Homelessness Reduction Act."

Mr. Copley noted that since taking office in 2016, the mayor has quadrupled City Hall's budget to combat rough sleeping. However, he added, "It is evident to me that, despite increased investments in services for those already experiencing street homelessness, broader policy decisions are driving up the most visible and harmful forms of homelessness. Without a shift in approach, our collective spending and efforts in this area can, at best, only alleviate the most severe consequences, with no realistic chance of achieving our shared objective to eradicate rough sleeping." Photo by Stephen McKay, Wikimedia commons.