Rough sleeping in Hackney rose by 69% last year, new figures reveal

Rough sleeping in Hackney rose by 69% last year, according to new figures from the Greater London Authority.

In a 12-month period from April 2019 and March 2020, 275 rough sleepers were recorded on the borough’s streets - up from 163 last year.

Local London Assembly Member, Jennette Arnold OBE AM, has warned homeless figures “could get even worse” in the next few months unless the government steps in to further protect renters and support those struggling during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over the lockdown period, the ‘Everyone In’ campaign, co-ordinated by the GLA, local councils and the government, provided 4,000 homeless Londoners with emergency hotel accommodation, and in March the Government announced a temporary ban on evictions, which has now been extended to September 23. City Hall has urged the government to take further measures to prevent another spike in homelessness coinciding with a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic this winter.

Ms Arnold said: “We are facing a recession and a potential second wave of the pandemic, we need to act now to protect those who are vulnerable. The good news is that we have recently seen what can be done when the Government works collaboratively with the Mayor and local authorities on this issue.

“We cannot allow this positive momentum to be lost, and the Government now needs to put stronger protections in place to protect renters and dramatically increase support for those most at risk of ending up homeless.”