Annual Report: 1996
West London Initiative on Single Homelessness

RESEARCH

REVIEW OF EXISTING PROVISION

Purpose:
To identify need in West London. To highlight any spare or deficit provision.

Method:
A list was compiled of 53 contacts in the West London area and a sample (30%) were contacted by telephone complete a questionnaire.  26% (14 organisations) responded.

Findings:
In reply to questions on membership of local and wider fora on single homelessness:

a local forum?	Yes = 6
		Like to?	Yes = 2
	No   = 7
			No = 5
a wider forum?	Yes = 5
	No = 4

In reply to the question: How would you rate local provision for the following issues and activities?  In order of reported need:
 

	Not met	Partially met	As good as it is going to get
Lobbying on homelessness issues	11	1	0
Clothing run	10	1	0
Research into local homelessness	10	2	0
Soup run	7	2	1
Cold weather shelters	7	5	0
Services for ethnic minorities	6	4	0
Education about homelessness	6	5	1
Agency networking	4	7	1
Furniture stores	4	6	2
Day centres	3	9	1
Advice and information	2	4	4
People with special needs	2	7	0

Results:
The results showed that there were numerous local groups scattered across West London, but with no central co-ordination.  It also found that there were “enough” furniture projects, day centres and information services in the area.  However, provision specifically for people of ethnic minorities were lacking.

Another clear identified was for the introduction of soup and/or clothing runs, cold weather shelters and research, education and lobbying.   A proviso was made that cold weather shelters should be free at the point of entry and combined with resettlement work.  Also, that soup runs were thought to most useful when linked with outreach work

"ON THE STREET" SURVEY

On 4th October, three research teams, covered pre-planned areas of West London:  Ealing, Acton and Hanwell; Hounslow, Twickenham and Brentford; Kingston, Richmond and Sheen.  Rough sleepers were approached and asked to assist in the research.  The results obtained provided WISH with a profile of rough sleepers, their needs, and the services they felt would benefit them most.

The reported ages of respondents ranged between 16 and 82 years and they were predominately white males.  Some had spent as little as one night in the area; whilst others had spent in excess of a year.  In one area surveyed, a sizeable proportion had existed as street homeless in the locality for a number of years.  Although no women were found during the survey, annecdotal evidence indicates that there is a small but growing problem.

15% claimed no benefits and  43% were not registered with a local GP.  Problems indicated were
 

Problem	%
Alcohol	42
Drugs	18
Mental Health	38
Physical Health	50

Conclusion
The provision of clothing runs and emergency cold weather accommodation were identified as the most immediate needs.
From the results of the survey it was estimated that  up to 500  people sleep rough in West London.

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