Drop in number of rough sleepers

The number of rough sleepers in central London has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded, council figures show.

Westminster City Council's latest street count shows the number of rough sleepers has decreased by more than 20% - from 89 to 69 - since March.

Street counts - a snapshot of rough sleeping on a particular night - are used to identify long-term trends.

It is the fourth count in a row that has shown a decline in numbers of rough sleepers in Westminster.

'Sheer hard work'

In the past year, the council has helped 750 people off the streets and into accommodation.

Cllr Philippa Roe, Westminster City Council's cabinet member for housing, said: "This is a historical low, which shows that our strategy is working.

"What is key to our approach is that we work very hard to prevent vulnerable people from becoming entrenched rough sleepers in the first place.

"Our strategy is to get people off the street as quickly as possible and into accommodation, where they can start to get their lives back on track."

St Mungo's, London's largest charity for homeless people which works in partnership with the council, has welcomed the fall.

Adam Rees, group manager of community services, said: "This is the result of excellent partnership work across all the agencies involved and the commitment and sheer hard work of both staff and clients."

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