Some people say that rough sleeping has always existed and always will – that there is nothing that can be done to stop it. That is simply not true. In the early 2000s, with a Labour government and a progressive mayor in City Hall working together, the number of people sleeping rough on London’s streets fell as low as a third of its current rate. Dreadful sights such as the so-called “cardboard city” at Waterloo were eradicated and everyone visiting or living in London could see the difference it made. We need the same relentless focus to do so again. We also need to build genuinely affordable homes to rent and buy. My new Homes for Londoners team has begun work on this. It will be a marathon, though, not a sprint.

There are many reasons why people end up sleeping rough, from mental health issues and problems with debt, to family break-ups, a gap in care services and drug addiction. This means that there is never going to be a silver bullet to solve the problem.

Some people say that rough sleeping has always existed and always will. That is simply not true

So I’m working with others on new, innovative and flexible solutions in Londonand coordinating action across the government, local boroughs, charities and the wider housing sector.

As part of this, I’ve recently announced that the new funding deal we’ve secured from the government to build more affordable homes will include £50m to invest in accommodation for people moving from hostels to longer-term independent living. This will help to fund about 850 spaces, dedicated to helping homeless people currently in hostels or victims of domestic abuse in refuges.

On top of this investment, I will be spending at least £9m of Greater London Authority funding every year on rough sleeping services, with targeted responses to help specific groups. For example, women are particularly vulnerable to abuse when they sleep on the streets. Understandably, female rough sleepers often respond to dangers by remaining “invisible”, choosing places to sleep that are hidden from view and disguising the real difficulty of their situation.