London Councils announces programme to tackle homelessness and abuse

The London Councils Grants Committee has agreed £24m in funding for a four-year programme to tackle homelessness and domestic and sexual abuse across London.

This latest phase of the grants programme, which will run from 2022 to 2026, is funded by London boroughs on a cross-party basis and will provide support to London’s most vulnerable residents.

Currently more than 165,000 homeless Londoners live in temporary accommodation, with the capital accounting for two-thirds of England’s total number of homeless households in temporary accommodation.

The scale of victims suffering from domestic and sexual abuse is difficult to establish and often underreported, however, from March 2020 to April 2021, the Metropolitan Police recorded 94,457 domestic abuse related crimes and 155,674 domestic abuse related incidents.

Recent polling by London Councils has shown that Londoners’ concern around sexual abuse is increasing, with 58% of respondents worried about being a victim of rape or sexual assault. This has increased by 17% from 2019 when respondents were asked the same question.

Mayor Damien Egan, Chair of the London Councils Grants Committee, said: ‘Tackling homelessness and domestic abuse are major priorities for London Councils. We are announcing a new £24 million programme of funding to enable London boroughs to do more to tackle these issues. I am pleased that we will deliver these new projects by working directly with London’s voluntary and community sector organisations.

‘Since we started our grants programme, London Councils has helped over 13,000 Londoners facing homelessness and over 17,000 survivors of domestic and sexual abuse to access the support they need to rebuild their lives. This new funding will help many thousands more Londoners access services when they need them most.’

The programme will be delivered in partnership with the boroughs, alongside voluntary and community sector organisations including Homeless Link, Shelter, Refuge and Women’s Aid Federation of England.

In related news, Cornwall Council has entered into a deal to buy SoloHaus ‘micro homes’ to help tackle the housing crisis.

Photo by Jon Cellier