Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick MP has made two visits to SHP services over the past week. 

Mr Jenrick visited our King George hostel in Westminster and our winter shelter at the site of the former Holloway Prison visitor’s centre.

The ‘fact-finding' visits allowed the Minister to meet staff and clients and learn about each of the services. He was particularly interested in talking to service users about the difficulties they face, as well as understanding the impact of rough sleeping from the perspective of a London-wide service provider.

SHP staff briefed the Minister on our support for people with complex needs in Westminster, including a new partnership with health practitioners to provide a respite space for rough sleepers recently discharged from St Mary’s hospital.  We also discussed our work with rough sleepers in Camden and Islington, and the exciting outcomes of our Sport and Health project.  

SHP Deputy Chief Executive Toni Warner said: “It’s vital that policymakers are able to hear firsthand from people with lived experience of homelessness, so we were delighted to welcome the Minister to our services and introduce him to some of our clients.”

Following the visits, the cabinet minister tweeted about the “brilliant teams and service users” he had met at both sites, adding: “I’m determined that we end rough sleeping in this Parliament.”