New London board launched to end rough sleeping
A new partnership composed of leading public and voluntary sector figures has been launched to end rough sleeping in London by 2012.
The London Delivery Board aims to transform the lives of 3,000 people who are homeless in the capital each year. Although there has been a decline in the number of rough sleepers in London in the past ten years, it is the only region in England that has failed to meet the government’s 1998 target to reduce rough sleeping by two thirds.
A spokesperson for London mayor Boris Johnson said a key reason for this failure has been the lack of a coordinated response that works across geographical and organisational boundaries.
The board will be chaired by the mayor’s director of housing, Richard Blakeway. Organisations involved include DCLG, London Development Agency, the Ministry of Justice, and homelessness charity St Mungo’s.
Charles Fraser, St Mungo’s chief executive, said: ‘We see this as an outstanding opportunity to not just help people off the streets, but to also address their underlying needs for healthcare and employment.’
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