Southwark Data Shines Light On The Demographic Of Local Rough Sleepers
37% of Southwark's rough sleepers in 2018/19 had no experience of prison, the armed forces or care.
Reports from Southwark Council have revealed that in 2018/19, 50% of local rough sleepers had never experienced prison.
50% had experienced prison at some stage in their life, though the crime or length of sentence was not detailed. 10% were ex-armed forces and 16% had been in care.
The remaining 37% of rough sleepers that year had no experience of prison, the armed forces or care.
The report noted that “23 people seen rough sleeping in the borough in 2018/19 had experience of serving in the armed forces, of whom seven were UK nationals. Time spent in the forces could have been at any point in the person’s life, and it is not necessarily the case that the person has recently been discharged.”
The report did not disclose which country the remaining 16 rough sleepers who were once armed forces came from.
The data also showed that in the same years, 12% of rough sleepers, some 53 individuals, were female.
Over the last five years, Southwark’s Councils funding for rough sleeper support has remained at “£239,520 inclusive of VAT”.