Shocking rise in rough sleeping as temperatures fall

New figures show a shocking 42 per cent rise in Londoners forced to live on the streets of the capital compared to the same period last year. This comes just one day after the Government's first Budget, which announced an extra £233 million for homelessness prevention in England. 

However, while welcoming this cash injection, The Salvation Army is concerned that it may not be enough to properly address the rough sleeping crisis. 

The latest London CHAIN (Combined Homelessness and Information Network) figures*, which are the most detailed data on rough sleeping in England, found:

• 4,780 people slept rough in London at least once between July and September 2024. This is an 18% increase compared with the same time last year. 
• However 681 individuals were found to be living on the streets longer term which is a 42% increase on the same period last year. 

In addition:

• The number of new rough sleepers rose by 12% compared to the same period last year. 
• The number of intermittent rough sleepers rose by 17% compared to the same period last year.

Director of The Salvation Army Homeless Services, Nick Redmore, said:

“How far do levels of rough sleeping have to rise before the Government invests what is needed to address this growing crisis. The funding announced in yesterday’s Autumn Budget to help people who are homeless is welcome. However, homelessness support services are at breaking point due to continuous funding cuts, and we are concerned that this money won’t go far enough. 

“Rough sleeping is one of the most dangerous forms of homelessness and it’s unbelievable that people in England in this situation are not deemed a priority by legislation and are being denied council accommodation. The law on this needs to change. 

“With winter and the colder weather approaching, The Salvation Army is preparing to help protect people on the streets by providing emergency temporary accommodation to keep them safe and warm as well as providing drop-in support and hot meals.

“Nobody should be forced to live on the streets. The Government should act immediately to prevent the numbers of people who are sleeping rough from rising even higher.” 

This week the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan announced that he would convene an emergency rough sleeping summit with the Minister for Homelessness and Rough Sleeping to find long-term solutions to the capital’s rough sleeping crisis. The Salvation Army is warning that unless this translates into urgent action, the numbers of people sleeping on the streets will continue to increase. 

The Salvation Army is committed to ending rough sleeping and is also calling for:

• The Government to maintain the value of the local housing allowance in England so people can afford to pay rent. 
• A commitment to a sustained investment and increase in housing stock and especially social housing, in the UK to meet the needs of the growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness. 
• An introduction of the same recording system of the rough sleeping population as in London (CHAIN statistics) to other cities and regions in the UK with high levels of homelessness, providing detailed information on the number of homeless people across the whole country in need of support.

The Salvation Army provide nearly 3,000 beds for people every night in 77 residential hostels, called Lifehouses, across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Officers, staff, and volunteers offer not only practical support in hot food, clothing and a friendly face but also access to wider support and signposting to specialist services and provision.