12% increase in people new to rough sleeping in London - Crisis responds

New figures released today (31st July 2023) by the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) show a rise in people sleeping on the capital’s streets for the first time, with 1,614 people new to rough sleeping in London - almost half of all people rough sleeping in the city. This is an increase of 12% compared with the same period last year and throws into sharp focus the ongoing impact of the cost of living crisis, as rising living costs and the shortage of affordable housing pushes more people into homelessness.

Concerningly, the total number of people rough sleeping across London has also risen by 9%, with 3,272 people sleeping rough from April - June 2023.

With a severe shortage of social housing and a lack of genuinely affordable homes, thousands of struggling households are being pushed into homelessness as living costs continue to skyrocket. This is severely exacerbated by the fact that housing benefit remains frozen at 2018-19 rent levels, meaning that it fails to keep up with real world costs.

Other findings from the data release include:

• 78% of accommodation placements between April and June were temporary or emergency accommodation as councils struggle to find long term affordable homes.

• Almost half (49%) of those sleeping rough in London had mental health needs.

Responding to the figures Francesca Albanese, Director of Policy and Social Change at Crisis, said: “It’s incredibly worrying to see that the number of people forced to sleep rough in London is on the rise once again. The Westminster government may have celebrated its pledge to build one million homes just last week, yet these figures show how complacent that was, when thousands are being forced onto the streets for the first time and there are no affordable homes to be seen.

“No one should have to endure life on the streets, but as living costs continue to rise across the country, more people could be forced into homelessness over the coming months unless we see action taken.

“To end homelessness for good, we need the government to target the root causes rather than just simply alleviating the symptoms. Without the truly affordable homes we desperately need and investment in housing benefit, there’s simply no hope that the target to end rough sleeping by 2024 will be hit. We need to see real, long-term solutions, including a plan to deliver more social housing, to ensure that no one has to face life on the streets.”