Agenda item

Report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services.

Members noted that the counts of rough sleepers during the past three months were as follows: September – 25; October – 29; and November – 50. The counts continue to fluctuate but there is a noticeable trend across London that rough sleeping is increasing and it is particularly high in the City. Rough sleeping is driven by a range of factors, many beyond the control of the City. The count does not reflect how long people are on the streets, what their complex needs are or the services they may have received. The City continues to be engaged in four partnership-based projects – Home for Good,

No First Night Out, Gold Standard and the City Lodge that all address rough sleeping. Updates for these projects are as follows:

· The advice and homeless service are completing the challenges required to achieve the Silver award.

· Home for Good additional training will take place in February 2017.

· Work on the City Lodge is in progress.

· The No First Night Out project continues to attract interest on a regional and national level. An independent review of the outreach contract was presented to the Members of the Rough Sleepers Group in November 2016. Members agreed to review the current specification with St Mungo’s so that it was more outcome focused.

Members were informed that often reporting cases via email or the Street Link was more effective than calling the service.

Resolved – that the update be received.