Almost half of first-time rough sleepers in London have drug and/or alcohol support needs, says St Mungo’s

New research produced by St Mungo’s highlights the growing problem of alcohol misuse among the capital’s homeless.

Released today ahead of the charity’s Action Week Parliamentary reception on 26 June, No More: homelessness through the eyes of recent rough sleepers explores the experiences and events which lead people to sleep on the streets in 2013. It also looks at where people go for help before they start to sleep rough and identifies missed opportunities to help people to keep a roof over their heads.

aThe report found that in 2012/13, 43% of the 4,353 people seen sleeping rough in London for the first time had drug and/or alcohol support needs. This is in addition to annual figures which show that 41% of rough sleepers assessed in London had alcohol misuse support needs over the same period.

You can access the report from St Mungo’s website.