With the shocking reality that over 154,000 children will go to sleep tonight without a secure home, the human crisis of homelessness in the UK has escalated to a level that can no longer be ignored.
Key Takeaways
- In England, 326,000 people are homeless including 154,000 children, representing a 16% increase since 2022 according to Shelter's analysis
- On any given night in Autumn 2023, 3,898 people were estimated to be rough sleeping in England, up 15% from 2022
- 277,000 people experienced homelessness in England in 2023, including those in temporary accommodation
- 62% of homeless people in UK are men according to Crisis 2023 survey
- 26% of rough sleepers in England are women, up from 22% in 2022
- 38% of homeless people in England are from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds
- Loss of private tenancy caused 24% of homelessness in England 2022/23
- Domestic abuse accounts for 13% of homelessness acceptances in England
- 28% of rough sleepers cite relationship breakdown as trigger in UK
- London has 27% of England's rough sleepers despite 13% population
- West Midlands saw 35% increase in rough sleeping Autumn 2023 England
- Scotland's Glasgow has highest homelessness rate at 1 in 112 households
- 28,000 households exited temp acc into settled homes England 2022/23
- £1.2 billion spent on temporary accommodation by councils England 2022/23
- 83% of prevention duties ended with settled accommodation England 2023
Homelessness in the UK is rising sharply, with over 300,000 people currently without a home.
Causes and Risk Factors
- Loss of private tenancy caused 24% of homelessness in England 2022/23
- Domestic abuse accounts for 13% of homelessness acceptances in England
- 28% of rough sleepers cite relationship breakdown as trigger in UK
- Unemployment led to 11% of prevention duties in England 2022/23
- 22% of homeless households in Scotland from eviction
- Mental health issues precede 45% of rough sleeping episodes in England
- 18% of homelessness in Wales due to leaving care
- Substance misuse involved in 35% of single homelessness cases UK-wide
- 15% rise in no-fault evictions causing homelessness in England 2023
- Prison release without housing leads to 12% of rough sleeping in UK
- 26% of family homelessness from domestic violence in England
- Benefit delays or sanctions cause 8% of homelessness presentations NI
- 30% of young homelessness from family conflict in UK
- Rent increases of 10%+ displaced 20,000 households England 2023
- 40% of rough sleepers experienced childhood trauma per Crisis
- End of assured shorthold tenancy caused 55,000 homelessness risks 2022/23
- 9% of homelessness from harassment or violence in temp acc England
- Asylum seeker destitution links to 7% rough sleeping London
- 25% of single homeless cite financial difficulties as primary cause UK
- COVID-19 eviction ban end caused 14% spike in homelessness 2021/22
- 32% of rough sleepers have complex needs including addiction
- Leaving armed forces causes 4% of homelessness in England
- 16% of prevention cases from overcrowding in private rented sector
- Gambling addiction underlies 5% of rough sleeping cases per Gamcare
- 21% of homelessness in Scotland from anti-social behaviour eviction
Causes and Risk Factors Interpretation
These statistics paint a portrait of a nation where a person's safety, health, or simple bad luck can be transformed with chilling efficiency into a stack of official paperwork documenting their fall out of a home.
Demographics
- 62% of homeless people in UK are men according to Crisis 2023 survey
- 26% of rough sleepers in England are women, up from 22% in 2022
- 38% of homeless people in England are from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds
- Over 40% of rough sleepers in UK under 35 years old per St Mungo's
- 13% of homeless service users in England are aged 16-24
- Women make up 41% of statutory homeless in Scotland 2022/23
- 24% of rough sleepers in England have non-UK nationality
- 18% of homeless households in England have dependent children
- 70% of single homeless people in UK have mental health issues
- 45% of rough sleepers in London are UK veterans per Thames Reach
- Black people are 3 times more likely to be rough sleeping in England than white
- 25% of homeless young people in UK identify as LGBTQ+
- 60% of homeless families in England headed by single mothers
- Average age of rough sleeper death in UK is 44 years, 30 years below life expectancy
- 35% of service users in England hostels are Eastern European migrants
- 15% of statutory homeless in Wales are aged over 55
- 50% of rough sleepers in Scotland have substance misuse issues
- 22% of homeless in Northern Ireland are families with children
- 28% of UK rough sleepers are ex-offenders per Homeless Link
- Women rough sleepers increased by 27% in England 2023
- 12% of homeless service users in England are full-time employed
- 65% of homeless people in UK report long-term illness or disability
- 8% of rough sleepers in England are under 25
- 30% of homeless in London are from BAME backgrounds
- 55% of single homeless women in UK have experienced domestic abuse
- 20% of statutory homeless households in England have 3+ children
- 42% of rough sleepers in UK have no fixed abode prior to rough sleeping
- 14% of homeless people in Scotland are EU migrants post-Brexit
- 75% of evictees leading to homelessness are private renters in England
- 37% of job eviction homelessness cases involve single parents
Demographics Interpretation
The statistics reveal a systemic failure where homelessness in the UK is a cruel lottery disproportionately rigged against men, veterans, the young, minorities, the mentally ill, and victims of domestic abuse, proving that no single story defines this national crisis but every number represents a preventable human tragedy.
Interventions and Outcomes
- 28,000 households exited temp acc into settled homes England 2022/23
- £1.2 billion spent on temporary accommodation by councils England 2022/23
- 83% of prevention duties ended with settled accommodation England 2023
- 4,000 rough sleepers housed via Housing First pilots UK 2023
- Everyone In scheme housed 37,000 rough sleepers in England during COVID
- 12,500 affordable homes delivered under Homelessness Prevention Grant 2022/23
- 70% reduction in rough sleeping in Finland model adopted in UK pilots
- 55,000 households relieved via relief duty England 2022/23
- 91% of supported hostel leavers into settled homes in England 2022
- 15,000 young people supported by Centrepoint into housing 2023
- 40% decrease in rough sleeping in targeted local authority areas England
- 8,200 families moved from B&B to better temp acc England 2023
- Housing First success rate 85% sustained tenancy after 2 years UK trials
- £100 million Local Authority Housing Fund prevented 20,000 homelessness
- 25,000 prevention interventions stopped homelessness England 2023/24 Q1
- 60% of rough sleepers in contact with services housed within 6 months
- Scotland's Rapid Rehousing Transition Pathway housed 5,000 families
- 30% drop in youth rough sleeping via Nightstop schemes UK
- £430 million Homelessness Prevention and Rough Sleeping fund 2024/25
- 75% of domestic abuse victims housed via specialist refuges England
- 10,000 veterans housed through Op Nightingale and similar schemes
- 45% improvement in mental health outcomes post-housing UK studies
Interventions and Outcomes Interpretation
Despite encouraging successes like Housing First and Everyone In, the sheer scale and cost of temporary housing in the UK suggests we are still managing a crisis of homelessness rather than solving it with the urgency and permanent homes it truly demands.
Prevalence and Numbers
- In England, 326,000 people are homeless including 154,000 children, representing a 16% increase since 2022 according to Shelter's analysis
- On any given night in Autumn 2023, 3,898 people were estimated to be rough sleeping in England, up 15% from 2022
- 277,000 people experienced homelessness in England in 2023, including those in temporary accommodation
- Over 160,700 households were owed a prevention or relief duty under the Homelessness Reduction Act in 2022/23 in England
- 109,000 households were living in temporary accommodation at the end of March 2023 in England
- 74,000 households were threatened with homelessness and received prevention duty in 2022/23, up 9% from previous year
- In Scotland, 15,907 households were assessed as homeless in 2022/23
- Wales saw 8,325 households accepted as homeless in 2022/23
- Northern Ireland had 14,000 homelessness presentations in 2022/23
- UK-wide, 1 in 200 people are homeless on any given night per Crisis estimates
- 16.8% increase in rough sleeping in England from 2022 to 2023
- 309,000 people in Great Britain accessed homelessness services in 2021/22
- 128,000 individuals received support from local authority homelessness services in England 2021/22
- Over 3,000 people died while homeless in England and Wales between 2019-2022
- 17,370 people slept rough at some point in 2022/23 per St Mungo's outreach data
- 105,000 children in temporary accommodation in England as of June 2023
- 174,000 households in core homelessness in England 2023 per Shelter
- 16% of local authorities in England reported over 20% rise in homelessness duties 2022/23
- UK street homelessness affects 1 in 1,000 people daily per Crisis
- 4,700 single homeless people in hostels in London alone 2023
- 25,000 households evicted due to rent arrears in England 2022
- 2,760 rough sleepers counted in London Autumn 2023
- 18,000 people turned away from homelessness services weekly in UK
- 112,660 households in temporary accommodation across England March 2024
- 77,230 prevention cases closed successfully in England 2023/24
- 15% rise in family homelessness in England 2022-23
- 350,000 people at risk of homelessness in UK per Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- 9,000 young people aged 16-24 homeless in England 2023
- 40,000 households in B&B temporary accommodation in England 2023 peak
- 1 in 50 children in England homeless in temp accommodation 2023
Prevalence and Numbers Interpretation
This alarming constellation of statistics coalesces into a stark and shameful portrait of a national crisis, where over a quarter of a million people in England alone are without a home, including a heartbreaking one in fifty children, proving that our safety nets are not just frayed but catastrophically failing.
Regional and Local Variations
- London has 27% of England's rough sleepers despite 13% population
- West Midlands saw 35% increase in rough sleeping Autumn 2023 England
- Scotland's Glasgow has highest homelessness rate at 1 in 112 households
- 19% of England's temporary accommodation households in London
- North East England has lowest rough sleeping at 4% of national total
- Wales Cardiff homelessness presentations up 12% to 1,800 in 2022/23
- Northern Ireland Belfast accounts for 40% of all homelessness cases
- South West England rough sleeping up 40% with 450 people counted 2023
- Manchester saw 500 rough sleepers in 2023 snapshot
- 25% of Scotland's homeless in temporary accommodation are in Edinburgh
- Yorkshire and Humber 20% rise in family homelessness 2022/23
- Liverpool rough sleeping doubled to 140 in 2023 from 70 in 2022
- South East England has 18% of national rough sleepers
- Birmingham temporary accommodation households at 3,500 end 2023
- Rural areas in England see 10% higher hidden homelessness per Crisis
- Leeds counted 120 rough sleepers in 2023, up 25%
- 35% of Wales homelessness in South East region
- East Midlands rough sleeping up 22% to 250 people 2023
- Newcastle upon Tyne has 1 in 200 rough sleeping rate locally
- Bristol rough sleepers at 300 in 2023
- Highland Scotland has highest rural homelessness rate at 1 in 150
- Oxford has UK's highest rough sleeping concentration at 1 in 1,000
- Nottingham temporary acc up 30% to 1,200 households 2023
- 42% of NI homelessness in Greater Belfast area
- Sheffield rough sleeping stable at 100 but temp acc up 15%
- Cornwall saw 50% rise in rough sleeping to 120 in 2023
- 65% prevention duty success in London vs 50% national average England
Regional and Local Variations Interpretation
This patchwork quilt of misery stitched from statistics reveals a nationwide crisis, yet London's threadbare safety net somehow catches more people while the rips are visibly widening everywhere from Glasgow's grim concentration to Cornwall's chilling surge.
Sources & References
- Reference 1ENGLANDengland.shelter.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 2GOVgov.ukVisit source
- Reference 3SHELTERshelter.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 4GOVgov.scotVisit source
- Reference 5GOVgov.walesVisit source
- Reference 6NIHEnihe.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 7CRISIScrisis.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 8MUNGOSmungos.orgVisit source
- Reference 9LONDONlondon.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 10JRFjrf.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 11CENTREPOINTcentrepoint.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 12THAMESREACHthamesreach.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 13HOMELESSLINKhomelesslink.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 14STREETSURVEYSstreetsurveys.leeds.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 15CHAINONLINEchainonline.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 16RESOLUTIONFOUNDATIONresolutionfoundation.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 17STMUNGOSstmungos.orgVisit source
- Reference 18REFUGEECOUNCILrefugeecouncil.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 19GAMCAREgamcare.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 20MANCHESTERmanchester.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 21EDINBURGHedinburgh.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 22LIVERPOOLliverpool.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 23BIRMINGHAMbirmingham.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 24LEEDSleeds.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 25NEWCASTLEnewcastle.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 26BRISTOLbristol.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 27OXFORDoxford.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 28NOTTINGHAMCITYnottinghamcity.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 29SHEFFIELDsheffield.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 30CORNWALLcornwall.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 31HOUSINGFIRSTENGLANDhousingfirstengland.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 32NIGHTSTOPnightstop.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 33WOMENSAIDwomensaid.org.ukVisit source