Demands created by the Supporting People regime could lead to a cut of almost 25% in the number of homes for rough sleepers, London charities have warned.
At least two London councils – Hackney and Kensington & Chelsea – have asked the ODPM to be allowed to nominate residents for designated rough sleeper schemes, possibly from other groups of homeless people.

In a letter to the ODPM, seven homelessness charities said this risked exacerbating the shortage of places for rough sleepers.

Of the capital's 4000 places for rough sleepers, 700 are funded via Supporting People rather than directly by the ODPM and that figure is expected to rise in the next year.

The charities asked the ODPM to restrict councils' nomination rights to half the places in a scheme, and that nominees be approved as rough sleepers.

Jeremy Swain, chief executive of charity Thames Reach Bondway, was one of those who signed the letter.

He said: "The units will be chipped away, not kept for those with a history of rough sleeping. If they aren't moving off the streets and into these places, there's only one way they can go – back to the streets."

Stephen Evans, Supporting People commissioning manager for Kensington & Chelsea, said: "We'd like access to [the schemes] because we are paying for the support."

Source

Housing Today