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A unique website showing services for homeless people across London is updated for 2024 by London Housing Foundation in partnership with Homeless Link

LHF’s Atlas was launched six years ago. On average nearly 300 people visit the site each month.

The Atlas is an interactive website that allows people to view service information and statistics across London, in a specific borough or at a multi-borough level. Commissioners, policy makers and others working in the homelessness sector use the website to quickly access information about available services and view the latest statistics on rough sleeping. The Atlas provides a unique overview of the volume and composition of homelessness services in London for people with experience of, or at risk of, sleeping rough.

The latest version which was launched yesterday includes updates from all 33 local authority areas in London. Over the last 12 months various new features have been added to the Atlas including a map providing information about Housing Options services and another helping users view information about local services more easily. LHF worked with London Councils on these new visualisations which also feature on the London Charter to End Rough Sleeping website.

Exclusive data launched in the new Atlas yesterday shows:

• There are over 11,000 spaces in hostels and supported housing in London’s homelessness sector. This accommodation is the main way people who have experienced rough sleeping are able to move off the streets. The volume of this accommodation reported to the Atlas by charities and local authorities has decreased slightly this year, following small year-on-year increases in previous years.
• There are now 26 Housing First projects accommodating and providing intensive support to almost 591 people who face some of the most significant barriers to moving on from homelessness.
• There are 3,900 social rented homes across London, specifically allocated to former rough sleepers though the Clearing House service and Tenancy Sustainment Teams. An additional 1,100 people are provided with support from Tenancy Sustainment Teams as part of the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme.
• There were 490 spaces provided in Winter Shelter’s across London over the winter season (some remain open at the time of the launch while others have closed for the year) – this was an significant increase over the 390 available the previous year. After the shift to single room provision during the pandemic the picture is far more mixed with an increase in communal sleeping provision in shelters.

Ian Brady, LHF Executive Chair yesterday said:

“The Atlas highlights the services that operate 365 days a year to support the increasing number of people sleeping rough on London’s streets from outreach teams to assessment services to onward tenancy support. Each year we seek to improve and develop the information provided with input from local authorities and service providers. The Atlas remains the sole source of several key datasets including information about homelessness accommodation, Housing First and Tenancy Sustainment teams.”

Rick Henderson, Chief Executive of Homeless Link, yesterday commented:

“In light of the appalling rise in the number of people sleeping rough in London over the past year, the Atlas will as ever act as a critical source of information about the support available. It will enable commissioners, policy makers and homelessness professionals to identify areas of need in order to ensure that people have trusted providers to turn to, empowering them to leave homelessness behind.”

Becky Rice, Project manager, added:

“Each year LHF and Homeless Link get a great response from our colleagues across the sector to help us create the unique overview provided in the Atlas. A small amount of many peoples time goes into the final tool and we are grateful for every contribution made.”

To access the Atlas, go to www.lhfatlas.org.uk. See our regular Atlas blogs here

Further information:-

• Visit the London Charter to End Rough Sleeping website
• 11,396 accommodation bedspaces in hostels and other short-term accommodation for those at risk of rough sleeping were identified in 2024
• Housing First: 26 schemes were identified with 591 places – an increase in scheme (by one) and in capacity across scheme (by 91) compared to last year.
• Data collection methods and a glossary of definitions used in the Atlas are available on the site www.lhfatlas.org.uk.

For more information, pictures, interviews or quotes please contact mark@markwall.co.uk For more information about the LHF go to www.lhf.org.uk