New role to help end rough sleeping in London

London Councils has announced the appointment of Michelle Binfield as Rough Sleeping Programme Director, to help end rough sleeping in the capital by 2024.

Binfield, who previously worked as Lead Commissioner for the Pan-London Rough Sleeper Substance Misuse Programme and Lambeth Council’s Associate Director for Commissioning (Public Health and Social Care), will start in August. London Councils says that she will play a key role in co-ordinating London’s cross-agency efforts to secure long-term accommodation for rough sleepers and prevent them from returning to the streets.

She will work with London local authorities, the Greater London Assembly, central government, health services, the voluntary sector, and others to build on the achievements made by working in partnership during the coronavirus pandemic.

London faces major homelessness pressures and relatively high levels of rough sleeping. According to the latest snapshot count, the capital and the wider south east account for almost half of all rough sleepers in England. Thanks to the government’s ‘Everyone In’ initiative, around 5,000 former rough sleepers in London are now in settled accommodation. Approximately 2,500 people remain in short-term emergency accommodation such as hostels and hundreds more are still on the streets.

Binfield said: “No one should have to resort to sleeping on the streets. I’m determined to see London make faster progress in helping rough sleepers into accommodation and giving them the support they need to move on from rough sleeping. This will be an immense challenge, but I’m incredibly excited by the opportunity to work with partners across the capital and to make a real difference in rough sleepers’ lives.”

Darren Rodwell, London Councils’ executive member for Housing & Planning, said: “Rough sleeping isn’t inevitable and London’s response to the pandemic and the ‘Everyone In’ directive shows how quickly things can change for the better. This new post will play a key role in co-ordinating strategy and driving forward our shared ambition to end rough sleeping altogether.”