London’s homelessness problem poses a serious challenge for everyone—citizens, leaders, agencies and, above all, those whose daily lives consist of hunger, distress, fear, and scorn. This community plan transforms the overall goals and mission of the London Homeless Coalition (LHC) into a to-do list—an action plan to preserve and increase London’s supply of supported, transitional, and affordable housing stocks, shift the focus from reactive, emergency responses to proactive, long-term homelessness reduction and prevention strategies, and encourage cooperative and collaborative initiatives that provide a continuum of supports to homeless people. This includes recognizing the relationship between health and poverty, ensuring that adequate supports are in place, and ensuring that the homeless can access all relevant services.

London urgently needs more shelters and street- level supports to meet the needs of people living in shelters and on the street, as well as those whose housing situation is unstable, uncertain, or at-risk.Also needed are shelter-avoidance solutions that help people find, get, and keep housing. These include advocacy with landlords and other housing providers. Ending the “revolving shelter door” syndrome requires agencies to support homeless people as they make the transition from shelters to stable housing. Comprehensive and long-term solutions must include the provision of permanent, affordable housing, supported housing, and transitional housing. Resources are scarce and populations are diverse; agencies and organizations serving the homeless must communicate and work together. And finally, unless the community as a whole comes to a better understanding of homelessness and related issues, London cannot hope to alleviate or prevent homelessness in the long-term.

Every night in London there are people sleeping outside in alleys, behind buildings, in parks, and in wooded areas.Every night, there are hundreds of people, including the elderly, the disabled, and children, who stay in emergency shelters or are placed in motels because they have no other place to go. Others “couch surf”, sleeping on the floors or couches of friends and relatives. More alarmingly, some trade sex for housing because they see no other choice. Thousands more are those who have been identified as “at risk”. These are people who have their own places, but are paying so much of their monthly incomes on rent that even a minor crisis could result in homelessness. Too often it does