Now when Coronavirus first took hold, the
Government said all rough sleepers
would be given a room in hostels and hotels.
And, in London, more than 4,000 people have
been given emergency accommodation.
But what happen's to these vulnerable Londoners
with funding soon to run out?
Karl Mercer reports on the challenge for one
London borough.
The sign outside might give you a clue as
to what is happening inside this Camden hotel.
It's about strategies to help you keep motivated.
Hello Sir.
Would you like some salad?
Oh yes, please.
This place has been transformed into a kind
of super hostel for former rough sleepers.
I feel like a failure and then you're just
trapped in that cycle.
People like Jay who'd been homeless for six
weeks when Covid-19 struck.
Here he can get help with his medical and
mental health issues with social services.
Why allow people to become entrenched rough
sleepers?
Why not intervene at an earlier stage?
And that's what I've found helpful here.
I'm hoping that with the support of everyone
here - the staff, the Council, the NHS,
Single Homeless Project - that I'll get a move-on.
The 70 people here get three meals a day
and there is help too for those with drug or drink issues.
Andrew was an alcoholic, but hasn't touched
a drop for more than a month.
Yes, I'm a tea drinker now.
It was a hurdle I had to eventually cover,
but I found it much more difficult
hostel system compared to here.
Here there is more structure and able to use my time better.
It was a good idea to stop drinking.
The Covid outbreak has given homelessness
workers the chance to develop
a new integrated kind of service.
We take for granted a lot that when we need
a dentist or a GP, we can just use Google.
If you're rough sleeping, that's not necessarily
an option for you.
The thing we've done here is everything is
on site, everything is done here
and building relationships which have been broken down
previously.
Across London, there are 4,000 former rough
sleepers currently being locked after
in homeless hotels.
But there are also fears of a second wave
of homelessness
when more people lose their jobs.
We've learnt a huge amount from this experience.
We want to continue that, but that wrap-around
support requires funding.
Also, our real plea to Government is that
this is a once-in-a-generation chance
to really do something about eradicating homelessness.
And if they supported us we could continue
the brilliant work that staff here have led.
The Government says it has put millions into tackling rough sleeping
and promised 3,000 new homes to help in the coming year.
