More than 4,700 people are homeless on London's streets: 'The situation is terrible'

The number of people sleeping rough in London has seen a first year-on-year fall for three years but homelessness charities have called for action to prevent more people being pushed onto the streets.

Frontline workers spotted 4,711 people sleeping rough across London between July and September, official Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain) statistics show.

That figure represents a 1% fall compared to the same three-month period in 2024 – the first year-on-year fall since 2022. But the seasonal nature of rough sleeping means the total is 7% higher than the 4,392 people counted between April and June.

A total of 2,116 people were sleeping rough for the first time, although the number of new rough sleepers recorded was down 10% compared to July to September 2024.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who has pledged to end rough sleeping in the English capital by 2030, told Big Issue earlier this year that he didn’t expect to see a fall in the number of people sleeping rough across the city until 2026.

John Glenton, chief care and support officer at Riverside, said: “It is heartening to see the first year-on-year fall in the number of people sleeping rough in London since 2022 and the first fall in the number of people sleeping rough in the summer months since 2017.

“To further prevent rough sleeping, we desperately need to re-introduce ring-fenced funding for supported housing and homelessness services again. 

“This will help to further reduce rough sleeping and grow the supply of bed spaces for people affected by homelessness and prevent the closures of vital services.”

Of the 2,116 people new to the streets, just under three-quarters went on to spend one night sleeping rough while 470 – just over fifth – spent multiple nights out before moving off the streets.

Just 4% of new rough sleepers went on to live on the streets longer-term. But they joined 759 people considered to be living on the streets, up 11% on the same period last year but a drop of 4% compared to April and June this year.

Jo Carter, CEO of Glass Door Homeless Charity, said leaders need to step up promises to boost prevention and stop people falling into homelessness.

“Every few months, new figures on homelessness are released, and we find ourselves repeating the same thing: that the situation is terrible, and that it will not get better until the government takes the steps necessary to address the root causes of the housing crisis,” said Carter.

“All of that remains true now. Glass Door Homeless Charity’s emergency night shelter network, which is the largest of its kind in the country, is opening for the winter in a few days’ time. Last winter was our busiest season ever, and we know that over the next five months, thousands of people at risk of sleeping rough in the freezing cold will come to us seeking shelter. 

“We will do what we do every year, and provide as many of these people as possible with a safe place to sleep, as well as advice and support to help them move towards more permanent, stable housing. But we know that the scale of the problem is far beyond what we are able to tackle on our own.”

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The Chain statistics also show an increase in the proportion of UK nationals spotted on the streets. They make up just over 50% of London’s rough sleeping population, up from 47% in the previous quarter.

As the nation prepares to honour Remembrance Sunday, figures show that 3% of those sleeping rough had served in the armed forces. A total of 104 people sleeping rough had military experience but only 44 of them were UK nationals. 

Just over 7% of people spotted on the streets were aged under 25, including two people aged under 18.

Luton Sinfield, service manager at the London Youth Hub – the first and only youth-specific emergency accommodation of its kind in London, run by youth homelessness charity Depaul UK, said the charity was struggling to keep up with demand.

He also warned the Home Office’s decision to shorten notice periods for people granted refugee to leave accommodation was having an impact.

“At the London Youth Hub, I see first-hand the pressures driving young people onto our streets,” said Sinfield.

“Our 26-bed pan-London service provides emergency accommodation for 18–24-year-olds at imminent risk of sleeping rough yet demand far exceeds capacity. We meet young people who desperately want to work, study and pursue their dreams, but who first need somewhere safe to stay. 

“With rents sky-high, and thousands fearing homelessness this winter, the government must act urgently. We need a rapid increase in accommodation supply for young people at risk, and investment in preventative services to stop homelessness before it starts.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London told Big Issue: “The mayor has helped more than 18,000 people off the streets in the capital, and will continue to take the lead in tackling rough sleeping – working closely with the government, London Councils and the homelessness sector to build a safer, fairer London for everyone.

“Sadiq has invested £10 million in funding this year – more than any other single investment by a London Mayor – creating a new Ending Homelessness Hub and expanding the Mayor’s Homes off the Streets programme. This is working alongside £36.5 million in additional government funding to support homelessness and rough sleeping services and partners in London.

“Between July and September, there were 10% fewer new rough sleepers and a slight decrease in the total number of people sleeping rough in the capital. But there is clearly still a lot more work to do, following more than a decade of austerity under the previous government which led to an alarming national rise in homelessness.”

The stats come just a week after City Hall and the government agreed to reduce the percentage of affordable homes required to be built in new housing developments in order to get faster planning permission in London.

Housebuilders will be able to include just 20% affordable homes in their projects, down from 35%, in a bid to halt a slump in the number of homes being built in London.

Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, said: “The government has said they want to end the moral stain of homelessness. We back them to the hilt in that ambition – but we have real concerns that the solution they are presenting here doesn’t come close to addressing the scale of the problem.

“Over the years we’ve seen how fiddling with targets and putting faith in market forces leads to nowhere near enough social rent homes being built. The stark and shameful truth of this is record levels of homelessness.”

The Westminster government is expected to release a long-term cross-government strategy to tackle homelessness before the end of the year.

Fiona Colley, director of social change at Homeless Link, the national membership body for frontline homelessness services, said the strategy must set out an emergency response and “start building a system equipped to create a country free from homelessness”. 

“The best solution to rough sleeping is to stop it happening in the first place,” said Colley. “That’s true for the people who sit behind today’s statistics, but prevention is also the most cost-effective solution for government.

“Preventing homelessness is everyone’s job: that’s why we need true cross-departmental accountability and responsibility on prevention to be baked into the new homelessness strategy.”

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