Homelessness jumps 16% in England, laying bare scale of housing crisis

Homeless people sleep rough on the streets due to the rising cost of living and rent prices in London. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The number of people being made homeless jumped by 16% in the final three months of last year, according to the latest government figures, which laid bare the scale of the country’s housing crisis.

Figures published by the government on Tuesday show nearly 45,000 households in England were assessed as homeless in the three months to December, up from just under 39,000 during the same period in 2022.