The number of rough sleepers in England has risen by 26% – the biggest increase in homeless people sleeping on the streets in nearly a decade – in what a homelessness charity has branded a ‘collective failure’.
The latest rough sleeping figures, published today by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, show that over 3,000 people were estimated to be sleeping rough in England on any given night in November 2022.
This figure is a 26% increase when compared to 2021 – the biggest year on year percentage increase in rough sleeping since 2015. This increase ends a run of four straight years of the statistics falling.
Commenting on the rise, Rick Henderson, CEO at Homeless Link, the national membership charity for frontline homelessness organisations, said: ‘This shocking rise in the number of people sleeping rough represents a massive, collective failure. People are being let down by systems that should protect them, forced onto the streets at the expense of their physical and mental health.’
The Government today also published official data on statutory homelessness in England, which shows what the homelessness charity Crisis describes as ‘worrying trends’ in other forms of homelessness.
Nearly 100,000 households were staying in temporary accommodation at the end of September 2022, including over 125,000 children. There were also over 72,000 households in England facing homelessness between July-September 2022.
The data also reveals that over 6,000 households – an increase of 34% on the previous year – were facing homelessness because of a no-fault eviction notice.
‘These figures confirm the grim reality that the Westminster Government will fail to meet its commitment to end rough sleeping by next year,’ commented Crisis chief executive Matt Downie.
‘The fact that homelessness is once again on the rise is frankly shames our society and if alarms bells weren’t ringing across Government they should be now.’
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: ‘Preventing homelessness and rough sleeping is a government priority. That is why we are investing £2bn over three years to tackle the issue.
‘This includes £360m for councils to ensure families are not left without a roof over their heads and £500m to support rough sleepers, helping to deliver thousands of bed spaces. We are also protecting the most vulnerable with £1,350 of direct support to millions of the most vulnerable this year.’
John Glenton, executive director of Care and Support at Riverside and Chair of National Housing Federation’s Homelessness Steering Group, said: ‘Everyone should be concerned by this significant increase in rough sleeping – the first rise in rough sleeping in five years and the largest increase in percentage terms since 2015.
‘The decline in rough sleeping during the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021 showed what could be achieved when political will – and resources – were committed to a problem that need not exist.
‘It is a real shame that we have lost the hard won gains from Everyone In.
‘The Government now has less than two years to make good on its manifesto pledge of ending rough sleeping in this parliament. If they are to have any hope of meeting that laudable aim, we need to see immediate action.’
Cllr David Renard, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association (LGA), said: 'Councils work incredibly hard to prevent the tragedy of homelessness from happening, as well as supporting those who find themselves affected and are very concerned at today’s statistics, which are from before the worst of the cost of living crisis hit families.
'With evictions in the private rented sector continuing to rise, it is crucial that government urgently implements renters reform legislation to put a stop to ‘no fault’ evictions, and it is imperative that Local Housing Allowance rates are reviewed to ensure that at least a third of the market is affordable for people claiming housing related benefits.
'The building of affordable homes must also be prioritised and councils should be given the powers and resources to build 100,000 social homes a year to address the national shortage of affordable housing.
'If the Government doesn’t urgently develop a cross departmental homelessness prevention strategy in response, we can expect to see these numbers continue to rise.'
