As colder nights arrive, the plight of those who sleep rough on our streets stands out.
Vulnerable people seeking answers are attracted to Westminster, the heart of our capital. They may have lost jobs, suffered broken relationships, faced mental illness, or endured trauma. They may also have problems with substance abuse. They soon become institutionalised, living on the streets. The life expectancy of rough sleepers is in the mid-40s.
What can you do? The City of Westminster has a wide network of charity partners and expert officers working around the clock to bring rough sleepers in and put them on a road to a stable and happier life. If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough, report it to StreetLink, and local outreach teams will respond.
You can donate to charities working with rough sleepers in Westminster here. If someone is in immediate danger or a crime is being committed, please call 999. If you witness less urgent, criminal anti-social behaviour, still report it to the Met. This helps the police target resources more effectively. Please contact us with any persistent concerns.
We asked Westminster Conservatives' housing spokesman Cllr David Harvey to explain more.
"I'm David Harvey and I'm Westminster Council's Conservative spokesman on Housing. People end up sleeping rough in Westminster for all sorts of tragic reasons. Family breakdown, alcohol and drug abuse, loss of job. Very poor mental health. The average life expectancy of a rough sleeper on our streets is 45 years or so. "
The new strategy from the Labour Party really de-emphasises the need for a separate strategy for rough sleeping, which is the most complex form of homelessness, and that concerns us greatly. "
Also, it really doesn't have a focus on street safety and community safety. We need to work better with the police, we need to use the council's enforcement powers to make sure that rough sleepers themselves are safe and make our wider community safe. They don't feel safe at the moment.
"And finally, Labour's record on community engagement on these matters is very poor, and our local community is often a generous source of charity and support working with charities, but also wants to be a stakeholder in shaping how our streets are going to be kept safe. "
Because sadly, at the moment with drug dealers and other criminals preying on rough sleepers, it's not safe "So the new strategy from Labour needs to be much better, and it needs to be much more than fine words because at the moment, that's how much of it is."
