“To turn off the tap, it’s high time Westminster turned its attention to unpicking the causes of this great wave of homelessness that massed under successive governments. Namely, kickstarting efforts to prevent and cure millions of the poverty that leaves them precariously close to losing their home.
“We also need to end our overreliance on expensive and often unsuitable temporary accommodation, and invest in long-term prevention strategies, like bringing the 300,000 empty homes in England back into use as social and affordable housing.
“Government and the third sector should focus on finding people a sustainable exit route from rough sleeping that keeps them off the streets – the very principle the Big Issue was founded on 35 years ago.”
The Labour government unveiled its £3.6 billion homelessness strategy at the end of 2025, pledging to halve rough sleeping by 2030 and to reduce the number of families living in temporary accommodation
This week, bidding also opened for Labour’s £39bn 10-year social and affordable homes programme, which is intended to boost the number of homes available for social rent.
Meanwhile, ministers have announced two funds aimed at boosting community responses to homelessness and helping areas where rough sleeping is most acute to turn things around.
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But the latest statistics show the government has a mountain to climb to reduce rough sleeping in England.
The annual snapshot found 8.2 people per 100,000 in England’s population are now sleeping rough with 43% of the country’s total located in London and the South East.
The North West saw the biggest regional increase of 20%, rising from 367 in 2024 to 441 people in 2025. Three areas recorded a fall in the number of rough sleepers: Yorkshire and The Humber, East Midlands and London. The latter was down 3%.
The majority of people sleeping rough in England are male, aged over 26 years old and from the UK.
Bonnie Williams, chief executive of Housing Justice said: “We are disappointed to see that the number of people being forced into rough sleeping around the country continues to rise. After years of growing numbers, we very much hope that this year will be a turning point.
“The underlying pressures that drive homelessness have not disappeared and while rough sleeping is the most visible form of homelessness, it is only part of the picture. The record numbers of households in temporary accommodation show just how many families are living in limbo.
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“We welcome the government’s new homelessness strategy, particularly its stronger emphasis on prevention and early intervention. Preventing people from reaching crisis point, improving pathways out of temporary accommodation, and strengthening partnership working across housing, health and local government will be essential if we are to see sustained change.”
Rick Henderson, CEO at Homeless Link, the national membership body for frontline homelessness services, described the record-high as “devastating”.
“There can be no question that ending this atrocious situation must be a political and social priority,” he added. “With the National Plan to End Homelessness in place, including specific national targets on rough sleeping, urgent action is needed to ensure this plan achieves change.
“The current system is nearing collapse, as the underfunding and decommissioning of services in the face of acute need has left people in crisis with nowhere to turn. It is now vital that local councils use their new funding to secure the provision of the homelessness support services that offer a lifeline to people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping, from day services to emergency accommodation and supported housing.”
The single-night snapshot count is widely considered an underestimate of the number of people rough sleeping.
The government also separately tracks rough sleeping over the month. That data found an estimated 8,010 people slept rough in December last year, up 7% on the same month a year previously.
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It’s not only on the streets where homelessness is rising.
Separate government statistics showed 134,760 households were in temporary accommodation in September last year, up 1.8% from July and 7% higher than a year previously.
Almost two-thirds of those households were families with children, meaning 175,990 kids were growing up in temporary accommodation across England – also a record high.
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Alexia Murphy, CEO of youth homelessness charity Depaul UK, said: “Official figures will only ever show part of the picture. Behind every statistic are real people – including many young people whose experiences of homelessness are often hidden from view. Too many are facing growing insecurity, rising anxiety about their futures and uncertainty about where to turn when they need help.
“At Depaul UK, we are increasingly hearing from young people who feel they are at a crisis point or approaching it. That is why we urgently need a renewed focus on preventing youth homelessness long before a young person ends up with nowhere safe to stay.”
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As the statistics were released, the government announced two new funds to reduce homelessness.
The £37 million Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund will go to voluntary, community and faith groups often the first port of call for people in crisis.
A further £15 million Long-Term Rough Sleeping Innovation Programme will target the 28 areas facing the greatest long-term rough-sleeping pressures, including London. The funding is intended to find joined-up solutions to get people off the streets for good.
“We have to get our kids out of B&B accommodation, and it is good that today we see progress against this target. There are simply too many people facing life on the streets or in temporary accommodation. While today’s statistics show progress in some areas, it is clearly not good enough,” said homelessness minister McGovern.
“We are investing a record £3.6bn funding to tackle homelessness, including £50m announced today to help councils and voluntary groups often on the front line of helping the most vulnerable people and creating real change for those that need it most. We are reducing the worst forms of temporary accommodation with ongoing reductions of children in B&Bs.
“Our recently published National Plan to End Homelessness recognises the scale of the crisis with bold action to prevent homelessness before it occurs and make sure everyone has the safe, secure home that they deserve.”
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