Wandsworth preparing to set up first hub for rough sleepers

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

A new centre could be built to offer accommodation at short notice to rough sleepers in a South London borough for the first time.

Wandsworth council has submitted plans to convert an office in Battersea into a rough sleeper hub to tackle street homelessness.

Council officers put together the plans after working with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) on ways to bridge gaps in provision for rough sleepers in Wandsworth.

The council submitted initial proposals in September but has now provided more details in an updated application.

The new report said Wandsworth has ‘never had any provision that rough sleepers can be placed in at short notice’, which means they are placed in ‘expensive temporary accommodation far from the borough and without access to locally-provided support services’.

It added that efforts to ‘bring people off the streets are significantly hampered by this lack of provision’.

The report said the DLUHC has allocated grant funding for the proposed rough sleeper hub, which would bring together specialist services and provide rough sleepers with essentials such as food, clothes and transport.

The hub would have nine bedrooms – with one bedroom for women and eight for men, based on data from April 2020 indicating 122 out of 765 verified rough sleepers in Wandsworth were female.  It would also have offices, a kitchen and communal space.

The hub would be based on a short-stay assessment model – with a target 28-day stay for residents before moving on, although this would vary depending on their needs.

Pictured top: The proposed location of the rough sleeper hub at 201-203 Lavender Hill, Battersea (Picture: Google Street View)