Renowned
actress and local resident Joanna Lumley was the special guest at the official
launch in Waterloo of the drive to end rough sleeping in the London borough of
Lambeth.
The event
was organised by Thames Reach, a charity which manages the Lambeth Street
Outreach Response Team (Lambeth SORT), funded by and working in partnership
with Lambeth Council.
Thames
Reach runs outreach shifts on the streets of the borough to assist rough
sleepers off the streets for good.
For the
past decade, the number of rough sleepers in Lambeth has usually been under 25
on any one night and Thames Reach now believes that rough sleeping can be ended
in the borough for good.
By ending rough sleeping we mean nobody living on Lambeth's streets as
some do now, and should anyone find themselves on the streets and rough
sleeping, our teams will help them quickly so nobody spends a second night out.
The number
of people living on the streets has been reduced dramatically since this time
last year, falling from 16 people to under five.
A new
assessment centre is also being set up which will provide support to people if
they become homeless and its aim is to ensure that nobody spends a second night
on the streets.
Joanna
Lumley said: “There is no reason rough sleeping can’t be ended for good. What I
love is that all the members of the community are all in this together.”
Thames
Reach Chief Executive, Jeremy Swain, said: “This uplifting event showed the enormous commitment from
a great range of organisations and individuals – the voluntary sector, Lambeth
council, health professionals, the police, businesses and key members of the
local community – to end rough sleeping in Lambeth this summer. In 2012 nobody
needs to sleep rough in Lambeth and with the backing of this fantastic
coalition we believe street homelessness can be ending once and for all”
Cabinet Member for Health and Well-being Jim Dickson spoke on behalf of
Lambeth Council praising the initiative and adding his support to the vision of
ending rough sleeping in the borough.
If you spot someone sleeping rough in the borough, you can
phone the Lambeth SORT helpline and the outreach team will investigate. Phone
0870 383 3300.
