01 October 2023 , 11:01
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Sadiq Khan has warned ministers against switching off an app that helps vulnerable people sleeping rough in London.
The Streetlink app allows members of the public to alert local homelessness support services if they see someone sleeping on the streets in their area. Thousands of Londoners have used the app - allowing the Mayor's Rapid Response Outreach Team to help nearly 2,000 people into emergency accommodation or assessment hubs.
Some 85% of those identified using the app left rough sleeping as a result. But with winter approaching, the government has changed providers and the Streetlink app has been discontinued, and it stopped working on Friday.
Mr Khan told the Mirror: “It beggars belief that the Government is removing this support for rough sleepers at a time when the number of people on our country’s streets is rising, with the number up three-quarters in England since 2010."
Across the country, rough sleeping rose last year and is up by 74% since 2010. Mr Khan has called on the government put more robust measures in place to tackle the cost-of living-crisis, provide further assistance for those with drug and alcohol dependency and restore the social security safety net which helps stop people become trapped in a cycle of homelessness.
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The Mayor added: "Last year, more than 11,000 referrals were made across England via the StreetLink app, around half of which were in London. This app has been crucial for connecting rough sleepers to services that can get them off the streets, including the Mayor’s pioneering Rapid Response Outreach Team. Ministers must urgently re-instate this important support for rough sleepers.”
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