Mayor of LondonSadiq Khan has criticised the government for switching off an app used by thousands of Londoners to help the homeless.
The Streetlink app allows members of the public to alert local homelessness support services if they see someone sleeping rough in their area.
Last year it was used to send alerts directly to the Mayor’s Rapid Response Outreach Team supporting nearly 2,000 people into emergency accommodation or an assessment hub, with 85 per cent leaving rough sleeping as a result.
It was also used by eight London boroughs with local outreach teams responding to StreetLink alerts, but after the Government enlisted a new provider for the service this winter the app was turned off and all referrals now have to be made on the StreetLink website.
From 29 September 2023, Streetlink’s app ceased functioning, severing a vital method for concerned members of the public to help people sleeping rough.
Mr Khan said: “It beggars belief that the Government is removing this support for rough sleepers at a time when the number of people on our country’s streets is rising, with the number up three-quarters in England since 2010.
“Last year, more than 11,000 referrals were made across England via the StreetLink app, around half of which were in London. This app has been crucial for connecting rough sleepers to services that can get them off the streets, including the Mayor’s pioneering Rapid Response Outreach Team.
“Ministers must urgently re-instate this important support for rough sleepers.”
Since 2016, the Mayor’s Rough Sleeping Programme has supported over 15,500 people to leave the streets permanently.
It comes as experts predicted the Government would not meet its target to end rough sleeping by next year amid “chronic and unresolved” issues in the housing system.
The failure will come as the country faces a housing and affordability crisis which is pushing more people onto the streets, and as pressure on public services results in a lack of early support to help prevention, the Kerslake Commission said.
The independent group of 36 experts was formed in 2021 to look at the lessons from the emergency response which supported people sleeping rough during the pandemic, but said the latest official figures show long-term progress has not been made.
