Highlights
- Rough sleeping in London has surged from 8,096 people in 2015/16 to 13,231, marking a 63 per cent increase since Khan took office.
- Khan claims 20,000 rough sleepers have been supported over nine years, with three quarters staying off streets.
- Crisis warns lack of affordable housing is biggest barrier, with less than 4 per cent of London homes genuinely affordable.
Sadiq Khan has pledged to eliminate rough sleeping in London entirely by 2030, despite figures showing homelessness has risen by 63 per cent since he became mayor.
The London Mayor said he was determined to prevent people from sleeping on the streets "at source" through a strategy focusing on prevention and early intervention.
According to the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN), the number of rough sleepers has increased from 8,096 in 2015/16 to 13,231.
Speaking during a visit to a homeless hotel in East London, Khan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he remained "confident" of bringing numbers down.
"Over the last nine and a half years, we've supported 20,000 rough sleepers," he said in an exclusive interview.
"Three quarters of those have stayed off our streets, so that's good. The problem is there are more and more new people coming to our capital city (and so )more and more people are ending up on our streets."
The mayor noted that London, as a capital city, attracted people from across the country seeking access to vital services.
He emphasised that London still had a better record than the UK overall, where rough sleeping has spiked by 111 per cent since 2016.
Action plan challenges
The hotel, funded by £200,000 from City Hall, is run by charities Crisis and St Mungo's, providing up to 180 rough sleepers with private rooms, three meals daily and expert support until January (21).
He referenced previous successes, stating "During my mayoral seat, during the pandemic, we did it. But also during the 2000s with the last Labour government, we did it.
I'm comfortable we can do it again." Khan outlined his action plan, including 'Ending Homelessness hubs' and 'Homes Off The Street' initiatives.
He also called for changing verification rules, criticising the current system that requires people to be "bedded in" on streets before receiving support.
"There's almost an incentive to be rough sleeping because you don't get support without being a rough sleeper," he said.
However, Francesca Albanese, Crisis' director of Policy, highlighted a critical challenge.
"What I would say needs to be different is we need more genuinely affordable housing now," she told the LDRS. "In London less than four per cent of homes are affordable."
The mayor has faced criticism for missing affordable housing targets, with just 1,239 starts on affordable homes from April to September 2025, compared to 3,991 in the previous financial year.
Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS)
