Rough sleeping in London is at record levels, with predictions that it will get worse

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

In July, August and September, 4,780 people were counted sleeping in the wild, the highest number since quarterly counts began ten years ago.

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

The number of new rough sleepers increased by 12% in the year to over 2,300 people, and 681 people are now thought to be living on the streets all the time – 42% more than the same period in 2023.

Homelessness charities called the figures ‘shameful’ and urged the Labor government to ‘act to end rough sleeping’.

The record comes in the week that Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, held an emergency meeting with Homelessness Secretary Rushanara Ali, NHS, charities and council leaders. Khan has said he will launch an action plan next year with the aim of ending rough sleeping by 2030.

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

But frontline organizations are demanding greater urgency, predicting that some aid agencies could close unless funding is guaranteed. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, on Wednesday announced £233 million in extra spending on council estates to prevent homelessness, and a £500 million increase for the Affordable Homes Programme.

But Crisis chief executive Matt Downie said: “This latest data is a stark reminder that we also need a coherent long-term plan. The UK government must urgently consult on the promised strategy to end all forms of homelessness and show the political will that can fix this terrible, broken system.”

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

Nearly half of the rough sleepers counted were British nationals, with almost a quarter coming from continental Europe, with Romania and Poland the most common countries of origin. The rest came mainly from African and Asian countries; eight in ten were men and the most common age group was 36-45 years.

Municipalities are struggling to find and finance temporary housing as rising rents and the cost of living push more people to seek help. Riverside, a charity that provides hostel accommodation, says there has been no significant investment in hostels in England since 2011. sleeping areas in England had fallen by almost a quarter between 2010 and 2022.

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

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “This Government has inherited devastating levels of rough sleeping, and we are taking action to get back on track to ending homelessness for good.”