New data released today (31 July 2023) by the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) shows the total number of people sleeping rough in London between April and June 2023 was 3,272.
This represents a 9% increase compared with the 2,998 people recorded as sleeping rough in the same period the previous year.
The latest CHAIN data revealed, of those people sleeping rough, that:
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1,614 were doing so for the first time, 12% higher than the same period last year
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411 people were considered to be living on the streets.
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1,285 people were seen intermittently sleeping rough, which is 8% higher than the same period last year.
Emma Haddad, Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, said:
“It is desperately sad that the number of people sleeping rough in London continues to rise. The ongoing failure to address the severe housing shortage and affordability crisis is clear.
“As rents spiral, more and more London residents are falling into homelessness. We know that less than 2% of rental properties in the capital are affordable for people receiving Housing Benefit. Once again, we are calling on the Government to urgently increase Housing Benefit so that it properly reflects the cost of renting. Without immediate intervention, homelessness in London will simply worsen.
“St Mungo’s services across the city continue to work tirelessly with the increasing number of people who need our support to rebuild their lives away from the streets.”
