Agenda item

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

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services presenting the CHAIN Annual Summary for the 2020/21 financial year, and the following points were made:

·         For the 2020/21 financial year, there had been a 19.4% reduction in the annual total individual rough sleepers against the previous year in the City of London, which compared favourably to the outcomes of the neighbouring London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Islington and Southwark.  Accommodated individuals had risen during the 2020/21 financial year by 74 or 67.3% against the previous year, which demonstrate the positive impact of the City of London’s COVID-19 accommodation measures and the Government’s “Everyone In” initiative.  Despite moving into the post-COVID period, accommodation rates in Quarter 1 2021/22 had not reduced down to the pre-pandemic baseline with just over half of the 67.3% increase made between the 2019/20 and 2020/21 financial years being maintained with a large increase in long-term accommodation events.

·         The City of London had been ranked as 13^th highest for total rough sleepers against all boroughs listed in the Greater London Authority Annual Summary for the 2020/21 financial year.  This was a significant improvement on the 2018/19 financial year when the City of London had been placed 4^th.  The Chairman led the Sub-Committee in thanking Members and Officers for their ongoing commitment to tackling homelessness and rough sleeping within the City of London which was making a real difference to vulnerable individuals.

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.