Rough sleeping in London hits record high amid predictions of worse to come

Rough sleeping in London hit another record high this summer, with an 18% increase on the summer before, as the mayor predicted the problem was likely to get worse this winter.

In July, August and September 4,780 people were counted sleeping rough, the most since the quarterly counts began a decade ago.

It was “a number that should incense us all”, said Emma Haddad, the chief executive of St Mungo’s, which helps rough sleepers in London and is seeing far more people with mental health problems.

The number of new rough sleepers was up 12% in the year to more than 2,300 people, and 681 people are now considered to be living constantly on the streets – 42% more than in the same period in 2023.

Homelessness charities called the figures “shameful” and urged the Labour government to “act to put an end to rough sleeping”.

The record comes in the week that Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, held an emergency meeting with the minister for homelessness, Rushanara Ali, NHS, charity and council leaders. Khan has said he would launch a plan of action next year with the aim of ending rough sleeping by 2030.

Prince William spoke on ITV about his attempt to end the problem within five years through his initiative Homewards.

But frontline organisations are demanding greater urgency, predicting some outreach bodies could close unless funding is guaranteed. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, on Wednesday announced £233m of additional spending for town halls to prevent homelessness, and a £500m increase for the Affordable Homes Programme.

But Matt Downie, the chief executive of Crisis, said: “This latest data is a stark reminder that we also need a coherent, long-term plan. The UK government should consult as soon as possible on its promised strategy for ending all forms of homelessness and demonstrate the political will that can fix this awful, broken system.”

A spokesperson for Khan, who became mayor in 2016 and is serving his third term, said he was “doing everything in his power to help as many Londoners off the streets and into more secure accommodation”, but that “the legacy of years of underinvestment from the previous government in housing and support means things will get worse this winter before they get better”.

Almost half the rough sleepers counted were UK nationals, close to a quarter were from continental Europe, with Romania and Poland the most common origin countries. The rest were mostly from African and Asian countries; eight in 10 were men and the most common age group was 36-45.

Councils are struggling to find and fund temporary accommodation as rising rents and the cost of living pushes more people to seek help. Riverside, a charity providing hostel accommodation, said there had been no significant investment in hostels in England since 2011, and the number of bed spaces in England had fallen by almost a quarter between 2010 and 2022.

John Glenton, the executive director of Riverside, said: “Increased investment in supported housing would provide more spaces to help get more people out of temporary accommodation into a dedicated space where they can receive the support they need. These services provide a route out of homelessness and help to reduce spending on very expensive, and often inadequate, temporary housing.”