Hundreds to walk through central London at night to raise awareness of homelessness crisis

Hundreds of Londoners will walk through central London at night to help support charities on the frontline of homelessness in the capital. A group of around 500 walkers will leave Trafalgar Square and hike up to a marathon distance on March 14. The London Walk, organised by the London Homeless Collective, aims to show what it is like for “those who are forced to sleep on the streets, leave their homes due to violence, or who do not have a safe and secure place to call home”.

Rough sleeping in London reached a record high in the first few months of the Labour Government, with at least one in 50 Londoners living in temporary accommodation. A total of 4,780 people were recorded as street homeless in the capital between July and September this year, a rise of 18 per cent compared with the same period last year. Over 183,000 individuals were in temporary accommodation, with women making up 65 per cent of homeless adults in temporary housing, in June 2024.

The number of people rough sleeping in the capital also rose to 4,612 last year. Meanwhile, the financial strain of homelessness on London’s boroughs has increased sharply. The capital’s boroughs collectively spent £114 million a month on temporary accommodation during the last financial year - up 68% compared to the previous year. It comes as one east London borough agreed to house homeless families in converted office blocks to save millions of pounds.

Meanwhile, Newham Council has been allowed to raise council tax by 9 per cent after the cost of housing homeless families pushed it to the verge of bankruptcy. The mental health crisis also continues to hit London’s homeless population. In early 2024, some 26 per cent of households owed a homelessness duty had a history of mental health problems. In the last three years, the London Walk has raised £300,000 for homeless charities in London with around 500 people taking part in previous events.

Now the London Homeless Collective is aiming to raise £200,000 to make the walk their biggest event so far. The London Homeless Collective was set up in 2019 after £1.4million was raised for the charity group by the Standard’s winter appeal. The funds helped set up central London’s first 24/7 women’s refuge with the Marylebone Project and helped set up a dedicated women’s housing team in Newham, where one in 24 people were homeless at the time.

All funds raised by the London Walk will go to grassroots organisations and charities which rarely see substantial donations. Rick Henderson, CEO of Homeless Link, a leading member of the London Homeless Collective, said: “With the number of people forced to sleep rough on the streets of our city still shockingly high, the London Walk is a powerful event to shine a spotlight on the homelessness crisis and raise vital funds for grassroots frontline charities that offer a lifeline to thousands vulnerable people.