With the temperatures continuing to drop to freezing it is increasingly important to get help to those who need it most.

Local charity to south west London, Spear, reported that in 2020/21, 1,017 people accessed their services and they provided housing for 200 people.

Across London there are thousands of rough sleepers, and as the weather gets colder they are far more vulnerable.

According to Crisis a total of 11,018 people were seen rough sleeping in London during 2020/21.

This is a 3% increase compared to the total of 10,726 people seen in 2019/20.

Streetlink exists to help rough sleepers and enables the public to connect them to local services that can support them.

If you spot a rough sleeper just visit the Streetlink website and send them an alert.

The information you provide is then sent to the local authority outreach service in that area to connect them to an individual who can offer them support.

The individual must be over 18 to be reported and if they are under 18 it is recommended that you make a report to the police instead.

Streetlink asks that provide the following information:

1) The specific location of the rough sleeping site. You can use a map to pinpoint the exact location and then provide a written description of it.

2) Details of the time that the rough sleeper has been seen at the location.

3) Any information about the rough sleeper that would help find them (gender, approximate age, what the person looks like, what they are wearing). If you make a report then you will receive details of the action the local authority normally makes when they are told someone is sleeping rough in their area and an update on what has happened as a result of your alert within 10 working days if you have requested it. You can view local charity Spear's report here and can also report a rough sleeper through their website.