Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has vowed to end rough sleeping by 2030 – a target the Big Issue’s Blueprint for Change has called to be extended to the rest of the country.
But huge rises in the Chain statistics show just how far away that ambition is.
As well as the 29% total rise in rough sleepers across London, there was a 20% increase in the number of people sleeping rough for the first time compared to the same period last year.
A total of 624 people were deemed to be living on the streets long-term, up 52% in a year.
A further 1,740 were found by outreach teams to be intermittently rough sleeping – that’s 35% higher than last year.
Youth homelessness charity Centrepoint’s Dr Tom Kerridge described a 36% rise in the number of young people aged under 25 as “really worrying”.
Jo Carter, chief executive of Glass Door Homeless Charity, said efforts to prevent the number of renters from losing their homes is needed to stop people ending up on London’s streets.
“The latest Chain report should be a clear sign that action is needed. Far too many people continue to be left without a safe and secure home, and this issue will not get better on its own,” said Carter.
“We are encouraged by the new government’s Renters’ Rights Bill proposed in the King’s Speech. Our message to the government is this: show that you are serious about tackling homelessness. Push the bill forward as a top priority, ban no-fault evictions and limit rent increases without any delays or loopholes.
“It’s in your power to give tenants more security in their homes and slow down the flow of people from the private rented sector into homelessness.”
A damning report from the National Audit Office released last week, which did not focus on rough sleeping, warned wider homelessness is set to rise across England in the months ahead.
The situation has now reached “epidemic” proportions.
Rick Henderson, chief executive at Homeless Link, the national membership body for frontline homelessness services, said: “Whether it’s rough sleeping, temporary accommodation or sofa surfing, England faces a homelessness epidemic. But we know it can be solved through government, homelessness and community organisation collaboration, drawing on sector expertise; we will be making sure our policy asks are heard.”
Labour is, so far, yet to confirm which minister will lead on the homelessness brief.
Emma Haddad, St Mungo’s chief executive, said the charity is looking forward to seeing who will lead “the government’s efforts in bringing their commitment to ending homelessness to life”.
Nick Redmore, director of The Salvation Army’s homeless services, said: “Bringing an end to homelessness can be the Labour government’s legacy. We look forward to working with the new government to ensure everyone has a home but in order to do this homelessness services need to be properly funded.
“The government must also deliver a sustained investment and increase in housing stock and especially social housing, to meet the needs of the growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness.”
A government spokesperson said: “Tackling homelessness and rough-sleeping means addressing the deep-rooted issues that cause it.
“That is why we will develop a cross-government strategy so we can work with mayors and councils, including those in London, to get us back on track to ending homelessness for good.”
Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.
