It’s getting busier and busier at 999 Club.
After dramatic reductions in the number of people seen sleeping rough during the pandemic, we are now seeing worrying increases as more and more people are facing the prospect of sleeping rough on the streets of London.
In the first three months of 2022, 112 people were seen sleeping rough in Lewisham and Greenwich. In the same period for 2023, the figure had grown to 178. That’s an increase of 59% in a year.
In April 2022, we had 310 different people come through our doors. In March, we had 427, an increase of nearly 40% in a year.
999 Club is proud to play its part in supporting people who are threatened with or experiencing homelessness to find a home quickly, but it is getting harder and harder for people to find a permanent home. Many people who sleep rough are placed in some form of temporary accommodation, which can be unsuitable and long-term.
As of September 2022, there were 4,194 households in temporary accommodation in Lewisham and Greenwich. A staggering number.
There’s no mystery about why this is happening. Rent is going up, and benefits are not keeping up. Rent in London is up around 5% this year, while the local housing allowance was frozen (again).
Other services that are meant to prevent people from going into crisis or experiencing homelessness are stretched. For example, to get support for your mental health can require a long wait and quite severe symptoms. This is especially concerning since evidence suggests that most people who sleep on the streets have support needs around their mental health.
999 Club is playing our part, providing a safe and supportive space for people who feel like they cannot cope. However, we are just one part of a larger system.
We believe that no one should sleep on the streets of Lewisham and Greenwich and that people who are identified as at risk of doing so should be able to quickly get the support they need to prevent this from happening.