Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called on residents of the capital to support his winter rough sleeping campaign ahead of Christmas.
The mayor announced yesterday that TAP London donation points, which allow Londoners to donate £3 using contactless credit or debit cards, will now be appearing in more than 100 locations over the course of the winter.
These donation points have already raised £130,000 for homeless charities.
Donations, which can also be made online through GoFundMe, will be split evenly between the members of the London Homeless Collective, a coalition of 29 charities working with homeless people across the capital.
Last year, 8,855 people were seen rough sleeping in London – more than double the number a decade ago.
This is due to a lack of affordable housing for Londoners, welfare reform and cuts to health and social services.
‘The number of people sleeping rough on our streets is a national disgrace, and since becoming Mayor I have made it a priority to do everything in my power to tackle this crisis,’ said Mayor Khan.
‘The generosity of Londoners is well known, especially at this time of year, so I implore everyone to give what they can to help some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
‘Every year we help record numbers through my winter programme – and while this is a testament to the hard work of outreach workers and shelter staff, it is also a damning indictment of the Government’s failure to get to grips with this vitally important issue.’
Katie Whitlock, co-founder of TAP London, said: ‘TAP London gives people an easy and impactful way to tackle homelessness. In just twelve months, over £130,000 has been raised in £3 taps from 40,000 Londoners. It would take seven Royal Albert Halls at full capacity to seat all of our donors, or five hundred double decker buses.
‘We are delighted to be partnering with mayor of London for a second year, and to continue supporting the London Homelessness Collective. By working together, we are all helping to improve the difficult lives of many. We are incredibly grateful to everybody who has participated so far.’
