Number of people sleeping on London’s streets up 19 percent in a year

A record high number of people slept rough in London over the last year — including more than 1,200 former private renters — new data has revealed.

A total of 11,993 people were recorded sleeping rough by outreach teams between April 2023 and March 2024 — a rise of 19 percent on the previous 12 months.

Included among that number were a minimum of 1,231 people who slept rough for the first time and for at least one night, having previously been renting privately. This was double last year’s figure of 540 former private renters sleeping rough for the first time.

Analysis of the figures by youth homelessness charities Centrepoint and New Horizon Youth Centre has shown that the number of young people rough sleeping in London has increased by 33 percent.

“In 2022-23, the number of young people rough sleeping stood at 847, but the latest annual report shows that 1,126 18-25 year olds were seen on the streets in the last year. The numbers of young people growing at 33 percent is more than any other age group,” say the charities in a joint statement.

Phil Kerry, of New Horizon Youth Centre in Somers Town, said: “We are seeing more young people come through our doors than any time in our 57-year history. Now, over 40 percent of young people are rough sleeping when they first come to us, up from a third the year before.

“There are far too many young people all across London leaving services like ours every day who are given sleeping bags, food packs and waterproof ponchos and must fend for themselves overnight, because there is literally nowhere else for them to go,” said Kerry.

In the London Borough of Camden, 903 people of all ages were seen sleeping out on the streets — a 26 percent increase when compared to 2022-23 and significantly above the average across Greater London. Of the total number contacted, 498 — 55 percent — were new rough sleepers.

In the City of Westminster — which has the largest street population of the London boroughs — 2,102 people were seen sleeping rough in the borough — a three percent increase. Of these, 1,145 — 54 percent — were new rough sleepers.

Twelve London boroughs saw numbers on the street increase by more than 25 percent.

The latest data comes from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain), commissioned and funded by City Hall. The Greater London Annual report for April 2023 to March 2024 highlighted the following “key findings”:

• A total of 11,993 people were seen rough sleeping in London in 2023-24.
• This is a 19 percent increase on 2022-23, compared to a 21 percent increase between 2021-22 and 2022-23.
• The 2023-24 total is 58 percent higher than the total of 7,581 people seen rough sleeping ten years’ ago, in 2014-15. 
• 2023-24 was the first year in which more than 2,000 people have been recorded rough sleeping on Chain in a single month, with both September and November 2023 exceeding that threshold.
• UK nationals accounted for 45 percent of all people seen rough sleeping in 2023-24, compared to 49 percent in 2022-23. 
• For the first time in Chains’s history, the proportion of people seen rough sleeping who were from countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Australasia was higher than the proportion of people from Europe (excluding the UK), with 30 percent coming from these areas, compared to 25 percent from Europe. 
• Seventeen percent of new rough sleepers who had information recorded about their last settled base prior to rough sleeping had previously been staying in asylum support accommodation. 
• Homelessness services worked to help 4,379 people who were seen rough sleeping during 2023-24 into any type of accommodation. This represents 37 percent of all people seen rough sleeping during the year, but it should be noted that this does not necessarily mean that the other 63 percent are still rough sleeping, as many of them will no longer be in contact with services and may have found their own solutions.

The report stated that the “gender breakdown of people seen rough sleeping has remained broadly consistent, with 84 percent of people recorded in 2023-24 being male, compared to 83 percent in 2022-23”.

“In September 2023, following recommendations from the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census and consultation with outreach services, we expanded the scope of the types of locations in which rough sleeping contacts could be recorded, to include fast food restaurants, libraries, and police stations,” stated the report.

“This change was made in order to ensure that rough sleeping by demographic groups who may tend to avoid visible street locations was not being missed. A total of 168 people were recorded rough sleeping in these locations up to the end of 2023-24.”

London mayor Sadiq Khan pointed to the Government’s failure to ban “no fault” evictions — despite having promised to do so before the general election — as the reason for the increase in former private renters sleeping on the streets.

The Labour mayor said: “Rising rough sleeping shames us all, and Tory ministers most of all. After 14 years, the rising number of people sleeping on park benches and in shop doorways in every region of the country is a stark symbol of the Conservatives’ failure in Government.

“In London, I’ve quadrupled City Hall’s rough sleeping budget, investing in emergency accommodation, outreach teams and extra cold-weather support.

“However, it’s clear that much more is needed, starting with ending ‘no fault’ evictions and fixing the chaos in the asylum system which is seeing people moved out of Home Office accommodation and onto the streets.

“The last Labour government dramatically reduced rough sleeping across the country, and we now need a change of Government on 4 July so we can do the same again,” said Khan.

Asked about the current Government’s failure to ban no-fault evictions in an interview last month, housing secretary Michael Gove said that it “wasn’t a promise abandoned, it was simply something that was timed out by the election”.

He said there were “very good reasons for the election being called when it was”, but that it meant the Government wasn’t able “to complete the bill’s passage through the House of Lords”.

Addressing the 120 per cent rise in rough sleeping across England since 2010, Gove admitted there have been “a number of challenges”, adding that pressure from the immigration and asylum system had played a role, and that there were “pressures on individuals who have challenges in their lives”, such as substance abuse.

He added that the homelessness minister Felicity Buchan “has managed to secure additional funding” for councils to tackle the issue and “if re-elected, will be in a position to work with London Councils in order to both boost housing supply, give money for temporary accommodation and deal with rough sleeping”.

The Conservatives went into the 2019 election promising to “end the blight of rough sleeping by the end of the next Parliament”, but Gove said the Covid pandemic had thwarted this pledge, and that the party was now aiming to reduce rough sleeping to the “effective statistical measure of zero” in time for the next election, expected in 2029.

Commenting on the latest rough sleeping data in London, Nick Redmore, director of homeless services at the Salvation Army charity, said: “When the newly elected Prime Minister closes the door at Number Ten, just streets away, people will be trying to find a safe place to sleep for the night.

“He will be running the country at a time when rough sleeping is at its highest in four years [across England].

“However, there is still time to reverse the rise in homelessness and rough sleeping. The Salvation Army is calling for ending rough sleeping to be a priority for the next Government.”

John Glenton, executive director of care and support at social housing provider Riverside, said: “It is vital that whoever wins the next election provides ring-fenced funding for council homelessness services to prevent cash-strapped local authorities from ending funding for homelessness and rough sleeping services at a time when they are needed the most.

“Ultimately, we can only prevent people from sleeping rough and reduce the number of adults and children living in temporary accommodation if we build more social housing and reform broken welfare rules.”

Alicia Walker, head of policy at Centrepoint said: “These figures are devastating. Charities and political leaders have been trying to end rough sleeping, but the problem is getting worse and the impact on the next generation is simply appalling. 

“Beneath these numbers are the real stories of young people forced into unsafe situations, facing abuse, violence and sexual assault on the streets of our capital city. 

“The next Prime Minister needs to commit to a fully funded cross-government strategy to end youth homelessness. They must ensure local authorities have the resources needed to support those coming forward for help, build at least 90,000 social homes a year, including 40,000 one-bedroom properties, and break down the barriers for young people trying to get into work.” 

Rough sleeping in London (Chain reports) Greater London Authority (GLA).

Additional reporting by Linus Rees.