Across London thousands of rough sleepers are bracing themselves as daylight hours decline and temperatures drop.

World Homeless Day today (Monday, October 10) puts a spotlight on the homelessness crisis at a time when, under the pressures of rising costs of living this winter, the reality that homelessness can befall anyone is all too clear.

Early identification can make all the difference to someone in need and local authorities have asked communities to use Streetlink for this very reason.

Streetlink enables the public to connect rough sleepers to local services that can support them.

If you spot a rough sleeper just visit the Streetlink website and send them an alert. The information you provide is then sent to the Ealing Council outreach service who contacts the individual with advice and support available.

The individual must be over 18 to be reported and if they are under 18 it is recommended that you make a report to the police instead.

Streetlink asks that provide the following information:

1) The specific location of the rough sleeping site. You can use a map to pinpoint the exact location and then provide a written description of it.

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2) Details of the time that the rough sleeper has been seen at the location.

3) Any information about the rough sleeper that would help find them (gender, approximate age, what the person looks like, what they are wearing). If you make a report then you will receive details of the action the local authority normally makes when they are told someone is sleeping rough in their area and an update on what has happened as a result of your alert within 10 working days if you have requested it. You can view local charity Spear's report here and can also report a rough sleeper through their website.