Rough sleeping has fallen in Ealing over the past year, according to Ealing Council, following initiatives aimed at prevention and emergency support.
Last winter, the council said around 70 people were helped off the streets through outreach and short-term accommodation, with most not returning to rough sleeping in the three months that followed.
The council says this has placed Ealing among the top five local authorities nationally for reducing rough sleeping. But it says around a third of people sleeping rough in the borough are non-UK nationals with no recourse to public funds, meaning they cannot legally work, rent housing or access benefits.
Since November 2024, the council said it has used winter pressures government funding to place more than 60 rough sleepers in bed and breakfast accommodation and move 20 people into longer-term housing. It also said extra funding from London Councils helped provide hostel shelter and immigration advice to 26 vulnerable people with no recourse to public funds (NRPF).
Many people without access to public funds rely on voluntary sector support, including Hope for Southall Street Homeless (HSSH), which provides meals, advice and links to health and immigration services.
John Murphy, HSSH general secretary, said: “The level of rough sleeping in Southall is very distressing, and can leave people very vulnerable to poor health and exploitation. There is a deep value in our culture to provide sanctuary, and I believe giving people a sense of self-worth and having things to do makes a huge difference, and can help them integrate back into society.”
Councillor Louise Brett, Ealing Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for safe and genuinely affordable homes, said: “No one should face the cold alone. Our council officers work tirelessly to connect local people in need with safe shelter and support.”
