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 findings of the annual street count and the following points were made:

·         Due to the likelihood of the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol being put into action and upon the advice of Homeless Link, the annual street count had been undertaken as a spotlight count on 25 November 2021 supported by a multi-agency meeting which was a similar approach to that taken in November 2020.  In total, 19 individuals had been met ‘bedded-down’ during the spotlight count, of whom five were identified as ‘unknown clients’, with a further individual identified as ‘bedded-down’ early on 26 November 2021.  The total of 20 individuals represented the City of London’s lowest annual street count since the process was established in 2010, demonstrating the effectiveness of the multi-agency approach.  The Rough Sleeping Services Manager advised that the disparity between the annual street count total and growing rough sleeping numbers for Quarter 3 2021/22 was largely as a result of the number of ‘unknown clients’. 

·         The Chairman thanked Committee Members, Officers and partners for their ongoing work to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in the City of London which had led to such a successful outcome for the annual street count and requested that this information be publicised following the meeting.  The Chairman also requested that a document providing a holistic view of the City of London’s homelessness pathways be presented to the next meeting of the Sub-Committee on 9May 2022. 

RESOLVED, that the report be noted.