The London Housing Foundation produced the first Atlas of Services for Homeless People in London - a survey of services in London - in 2008 to increase knowledge and understanding about the homelessness sector.
The Atlas is now established as a vital resource for London’s homelessness sector and for commissioners of homelessness services
, giving details of the location of all services and which agencies provide them alongside maps showing the proportion of London's rough sleepers in each borough.
New online maps for a quick overview of the sector
In addition to an improved, full-length PDF, this year we have produced an easy-to-use, online version of the key maps, providing a quick, satellite view of the sector.
New features in the 2011 Atlas
In addition to the
online maps, the 2011 Atlas includes some new features:
- A new look Atlas with colourful maps and charts
- Additional analysis showing which boroughs each project serves
- Ranked tables showing the proportion of direct access, second stage, and floating support services provided by each agency
- Registered Charity Numbers or FSA Mutual Numbers (for housing associations) to facilitate cross-checks with register entries.
How are spending cuts affecting services to homeless people in London?
When we published the first Atlas in 2008 the sector was relatively stable. The second edition, published in 2009, reflected rapid change in the direct access sector, as many hostels were being refurbished under the Places of Change programme. The publication of this third edition was delayed by six months in anticipation of mergers and contract changes following the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review. These have started but with no particular end in sight we decided to publish rather than face a potentially indefinite delay.
Trends emerging from the third edition of the Atlas
When identifying trends we need to sift out the variations caused by incomplete data from those caused by real changes. The number of direct access bed spaces has fluctuated over the three years the Atlas has been produced, whereas the number of second stage beds and floating support units both show a continuous rise. It is hard to be certain without undertaking further research, but we believe there are three trends at work here:
- The direct access reduction shown for 2009 is likely to reflect the temporary closures as a result of the Places of Change programme
- Second stage services appear to increase slightly but there is no plausible explanation for a real increase and we do not think this reflects the reality
- There has been pressure on agencies to transfer people from second stage accommodation to floating support and the ring-fence around Supporting People funding, removed in 2009, combined with real decreases in prices paid, would naturally drive up the number of units.
For further details on these trends,
download the full-length Atlas of Services for Homeless People in London (PDF).
Help us continue to improve the accuracy of the Atlas
As ever, complete accuracy is our aspiration but errors are possible. If you spot any serious inaccuracies
please submit the details and we will make the necessary amendments. If you would like to be contacted next time the Atlas is revised,
please tell us your details and we will get in touch in 2012.