Hidden homeless - no numbers, no action from Mayor

9.25.00am GMT Thu 20th Nov 2003

Ken Livingstone has done too little, too slowly to help 'hidden homeless' people. Mike Tuffrey, Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson, asked the Mayor how he was monitoring and addressing hidden homelessness - people who have no base of their own and are forced to sleep on friends' sofas, for example, but who are not registered with their local authority as being homeless.

The Mayor admitted that his housing surveys had failed to monitor hidden homeless people. Although work was about to begin to identify the numbers affected, the problem would not start to be tackled until at least March 2004 - nearly four years after the Mayor was elected.

This is despite the Mayor acknowledging that 'tens of thousands' of people classify themselves as homeless but 'think there is no point' in approaching their local authority for help.

Mike Tuffrey said:

"It is disappointing that, despite acknowledging that hidden homelessness is a major problem, the Mayor is only now taking action to establish the extent of the problem in order to help those affected.

He added:

"A recently published report by Crisis said that fewer than half of hidden homeless people in London approached their local authority for help. The Mayor should be working with other agencies to ensure that people are made aware of their options and brought into the system to get the help they need."

ENDS

Notes to editor:

1. 'Your Place, Not Mine - the experience of homeless people staying with family and friends' Crisis, November 2003