Rough sleepers in London fall by fifth

The number of new rough sleepers contacted on the streets of London
fell by 20 per cent over the past three years, but more than
one-third of those housed were evicted or abandoned their
tenancies.

Annual figures compiled by homelessness charity Broadway reveal
that the rate of evictions and abandonments in both temporary and
permanent accommodation has remained “constant” since 2003.

Over the past year, 824 people abandoned or were evicted from
rolling shelters, hostels or second-stage accommodation, compared
to 1,100 who left due to a planned move.

The figures also showed that outreach teams failed to move
one-third of people they worked with off the streets during 2004-5.