Fundraiser launched to help young people off London's streets this winter

Author: Josh KerrPublished 1st Dec 2021
Last updated 21st Dec 2021

The Mayor of London today (1 December) launched the Winter Rough Sleeping Fundraising Campaign to aid young people who are facing homelessness.

On a visit to a support service in Hounslow, Sadiq Khan appealed for the generosity of Londoners to help keep people off the streets this Christmas.

But he also called for greater government action to help tackle the issue, warning that work done during the pandemic could be lost.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “From City Hall we are doing everything we can with the resources at our disposal to keep rough sleepers safe and I’m confident Londoners will once again show their generosity by backing my winter fundraising campaign and helping to support young Londoners who find themselves homeless.

“Even so, the generosity of Londoners alone cannot end rough sleeping in our capital. This time last year we were hailing the remarkable success of the ‘Everyone In’ programme for saving the lives of hundreds of vulnerable Londoners.

“Despite seeing what can be achieved when we work together, ministers now appear unwilling or unable to confront the appalling reality that hundreds of young Londoners could spend this Christmas sleeping on the streets.”

The government has committed to ending rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament in 2024.

Last year the Mayor’s Winter Fundraising Campaign raised more than £100,000, which was split between four charities working with young homeless Londoners: Depaul, akt, Centrepoint and New Horizon Youth Centre.

Those four charities will also be the beneficiaries of the 2021/22 campaign.

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