‘Unthinkable’ surge in rough sleeping as housing crisis laid bare
The UK’s housing crisis continues to deepen, with the number of people sleeping rough rising by 20 per cent in just one year, a new report has revealed.
There are currently at least 4,667 people sleeping on the streets in England on any given night, with hundreds of thousands more experiencing other forms of homelessness, according to Shelter’s annual report.
The housing charity said more than 380,000 people were currently homeless in the country, including 175,025 children. This equates to 28,602 more people, an eight percent increase from a year ago.
This striking figure means that 1 in 153 people in England experience homelessness, while in London this rate rises to 1 in 45 people.
Sarah Elliott, CEO of Shelter, said: “As winter approaches, it is unthinkable that more than 382,000 people will be left without a safe place to call home. “As thousands brace themselves for the next freezing night on the streets, more than 84,000 families face the harsh reality of spending Christmas vandalizing temporary accommodation.
“Every day at Shelter we hear from parents terrified to wait out another winter in terrible temporary accommodation. Miles away from family and friends, in an emergency hostel, a dreary boarding house, they watch their children’s breath hang in the air and mold climb the walls.”
The report also found that:
- More than 90 percent of people registered as homeless (including 84,240 families) live in temporary accommodation
- At least 4,031 people live in accommodation provided by social services
- An estimated 16,294 additional single people live in hostels or other homeless accommodation
The findings emerged as Labor shared plans to end homelessness and pledged £3.5bn for a renewed initiative. The government says the funding will deliver a higher prevention rate, halve the number of people in distress and end the illegal use of hostels for families.
Announcing the plans, Housing Minister Steve Reed said: “Homelessness is one of the deepest challenges we face as a society because, at its core, it is about people. “Families deserve stability, children need a safe place to grow up and individuals just want the dignity of a home.
“Through our new strategy, we can build a future where homelessness is rare, short-lived and non-recurring. We will make this ambition a reality through record investment, new roles across public services and a relentless focus on accountability.”
The government also passed the Tenants’ Rights Bill in October, which will give tenants significant new protections from next year, and reiterated its promise to build 1.5 million homes in this parliament.
But Shelter and other housing campaigners have called on ministers to go further by ending the housing benefit freeze, which limits the amount of financial support tenants can claim to pay their rent.
After reconnecting to the cheapest 30 per cent of rented homes in the area in April 2024, Labor refrozen housing benefit rates, with no deadline for unfreezing. This means that while rental prices continue to rise rapidly, the amount tenants can claim towards the cost remains the same.
The government is unlikely to announce a change to this policy until late 2026, with ministers stating that reducing welfare spending remains a key priority. But Ms Elliot said doing so would “enable thousands of children to be moved from temporary accommodation into a home immediately”.
The 36-year-old is the manager of a home care service living in Norfolk, Georgia. Earlier this year, she spent five months in temporary accommodation with her 7-year-old son after becoming homeless due to the breakdown of her marriage.
He said: “I learned that we had been evicted two days before the bailiffs arrived. I was very shocked. The municipality found us a room in the hostel. One room had a small kitchen area, two single beds, a toilet and a bathroom. I told my son that we would stay there until we reached our forever home.”
“Living in a temporary shelter affected everything. We had to rehome our cat and dog, and I had to quit my job because of all the chaos. The house was 45 minutes away from my son’s school. My son was really tired and irritable. It seriously affected my mental health. I could barely leave my room for months. I was crying every day.”
The single mother managed to find a permanent social home after applying to Shelter, who were able to offer her legal advice and appeal the council’s decision.
“We are really happy. The first things to come out of the warehouse were my son’s toys. It’s wonderful to see him relax and play again. Everything was so uncertain before. We were pretty much told to leave. Now I know my son is safe and this house is ours.”
