Numbers of homeless sleeping rough soar to record high with 15% increase in 2017

By Paul Rushworth, City View

Photo by Pablo Guerrero on Unsplash
Photo by Pablo Guerrero on Unsplash

Latest government figures show a 15% rise in rough sleeping in England with 4,751 people recorded as sleeping rough on any given night in autumn last year.

The annual rough sleeping counts and estimates conducted since 2010 are single night snapshots of the number of people sleeping rough in local authority areas, the latest figures reveal the seventh consecutive year on year increase in rough sleepers – more than double the 2010 figure.

The majority of the count data is based on intelligence-based estimates by local authorities in consultation with local agencies, charities, faith groups and the police.

London remains the epicentre for rough sleepers in England accounting for nearly a quarter of the total number at 1140 an increase of 18% on 2016, whilst the rest of England recorded a 14% rise.

Of the 4,751 rough sleepers counted in autumn 2017:

  • 653 (14%) were women
  • 760 (16%) were EU nationals from outside the UK
  • 193 (4%) were from outside the EU
  • The Nationality of 402 people (8%) was not known – suggesting some people may not wish to disclose their non-UK nationality
  • 370 (8%) were 18 – 25 years old
  • 3 persons (<0.1%) of the England total, were under 18 years old.

These figures may only be the tip of the iceberg however with research by the homeless charity Crisis claiming that the true number of homeless people sleeping rough could be more than 8000 – nearly double the official statistics.

This figure doesn’t take into account the estimated additional 9,000 homeless people sleeping in tents, cars, trains and buses.

Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis said:

“It is truly a catastrophe that in a country as prosperous as this, more and more people are finding themselves forced to sleep in dangerous and freezing conditions, when we have evidence to show how the situation could be turned around. Today’s report makes it only too clear that unless we take action as a society, the problem is only going to keep getting worse with every year that passes.

“Rough sleeping ruins lives, leaving people vulnerable to violence and abuse, and taking a dreadful toll on mental and physical health. Our research has shown how rough sleepers are 17 times more likely to be victims of violence. This is no way for anyone to live.”

For the purpose of official counts Rough Sleepers are defined as people sleeping or about to bed down in the open air – on the streets, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters etc or people in buildings or other places not designed for habitation such as stairwells, barns, sheds, car parks or makeshift shelters.

The announcement of these latest figures will come as a blow to the government and the Homelessness Reduction Taskforce who have pledged to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and end it completely by 2027.

The issues raised by the crisis in rough sleeping and homelessness will be discussed in detail at the forthcoming Homeless & Inclusion Health Conference – the UK Faculty for Homeless and Inclusion Health’s annual symposium on health, homelessness and multiple exclusion taking place in London on Wednesday 7th March and Thursday 8th March 2018.

The symposium is developed by Pathway (the homeless health charity) on behalf of the Faculty for Homeless and Inclusion Health.

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