The number of people seen sleeping rough in London has risen by more than a fifth in the past year in what has been branded a “tragic reflection” of both the cost-of-living crisis and a lack of affordable housing.
People sleeping rough for the first time increased by more than a quarter, the latest figures showed.
A total of 10,053 people were seen sleeping on the streets between April 2022 and March 2023, according to the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain) report, which is commissioned and funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA).
The shrinking supply of affordable homes in the private rented sector, and the chronic undersupply of social housing, means people are struggling to find and keep somewhere to live
This figure was up by 21% from 8,329 in the same period a year previously.
The latest statistics came just a day after the Prince of Wales announced the first of the flagship areas where he hopes to end homelessness with his new Homewards project.
William said he was “excited” to be launching the five-year initiative, with the London borough of Lambeth among six locations where new partnerships will be forged between councils, businesses, charities and individuals aiming to make homelessness something that is rare, brief and unrepeated.
The legal definition of homelessness is that a household has no home available and reasonable to occupy.
Rough sleeping is one kind of homelessness, with other situations including someone in temporary accommodation, living in inadequate housing, or staying with family and friends in what is known as sofa-surfing.
The latest Chain report stated that of the total sleeping rough in London 6,391 were doing so for the first time.
This was a 26% rise compared with 5,091 from the same period in 2021/22.
Some 2,084 people had been seen rough sleeping for at least two consecutive years.
After more than a year without sleeping rough, 1,578 people returned to the streets. The number of people in this situation increased by almost a third (31%) from 1,205 the previous year.
Today we are incredibly proud to unveil #Homewards - a UK-wide programme to end homelessness, launched alongside The Royal Foundation @HomewardsUK pic.twitter.com/4sybTg9Faz
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 26, 2023
Homelessness charity St Mungo’s called on the Government to increase housing benefit “so it properly reflects the true cost of renting”.
Its chief executive, Emma Haddad, said: “The 21% increase in the number of people experiencing street homelessness in London is a tragic reflection of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and the severe lack of affordable housing.
“The shrinking supply of affordable homes in the private rented sector, and the chronic undersupply of social housing, means people are struggling to find and keep somewhere to live.”
She added that without “immediate intervention the number of people sleeping rough will continue to rise”.
Earlier in June homelessness charities wrote to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to express their deep concern that the Government will fail to meet its target of ending rough sleeping in England by 2024.
In September, the Government published its Ending Rough Sleeping For Good strategy, which restated its 2019 manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping by the end of this parliament.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan described the rise in people sleeping rough on London’s streets as “extremely alarming” and said that despite previous progress “extraordinary financial pressures are putting the poorest Londoners at growing risk of homelessness”.
He said ministers must “get a grip on the cost-of-living crisis and restore the social security safety net which stops people becoming trapped in a cycle of homelessness”.
He added: “They must also invest in new council and genuinely affordable homes and restore London Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of market rents. Ministers should also give me the power to introduce a system of rent controls that work for London.”
Riverside, which describes itself as the largest provider of accommodation for people affected by homelessness, said “everyone should be concerned by this significant increase” in rough sleeping.
Lee Buss-Blair, its director of operations, said: “The Government now has 18 months to make good on its manifesto pledge of ending rough sleeping in this parliament.
“Ending rough sleeping doesn’t just mean directing more resources at rough sleeping but also looking at the factors driving the increase in rough sleeping, which are only going to intensify as the cost-of-living crisis continues.
“This includes a chronic lack of social housing and the need for much more support for providers of supported housing.”
