The number of people sleeping rough in England has fallen for a fourth year in a row, new figures suggest.
A nine per cent reduction over the past 12 months has taken levels to an eight-year low, according to UK government data.
Some 2,440 people were estimated to be sleeping on the streets on a single night in autumn 2021, when the data was collected.
The snapshot – which is used to assess changes in rates over time – has seen the estimated number of rough sleepers fall year-on-year since a peak of 4,750 in 2017. But today’s figures represent a 38 per cent increase since 2010, when 1,770 were sleeping rough.
Nearly half (45 per cent) of all people sleeping rough on the day in question were in London and the south east. Some 85 per cent were male and 67 per cent were from the UK.
The number of people in emergency accommodation nearly halved, with more people securing long-term homes.
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Housing charity Shelter welcomed the figures but warned the cost of living crisis presents a “fork in the road” that could force more people to live on the streets.
Rough sleeping and housing minister Eddie Hughes said: “The government remains focused on ending rough sleeping by the end of this Parliament and we’re making excellent progress towards this.
“Today’s figures are testament to that, showing our investment is helping more people have a roof over their heads and the best possible chance of turning their lives around.”
The government said £800 million has been invested this year to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, with £2 billion committed over the next three years.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “Since becoming mayor, I’ve made tackling rough sleeping a personal priority and while it is encouraging that there are fewer people sleeping on London’s streets this year compared to this time last year, I know that there is more work to do.
“I’ve been using all tools and resources at my disposal to keep rough sleepers safe. Since 2016, more than 12,000 people have been helped by City Hall’s rough sleeping services, including during the pandemic when London led the country in bringing people in off the streets.
“We are also building more council homes in London than at any time since the 1970s.
“Ministers must now match this ambition and fund the services that people sleeping rough need, while reforming the private rented sector and investing in new council and genuinely affordable homes to help prevent Londoners becoming homeless in the first place.
“All Londoners deserve a safe and secure home, and one person sleeping rough is one too many.”
Osama Bhutta, director of campaigns at Shelter, said: “These figures show the race to end rough sleeping has started but it’s far from over. The extra provision of emergency accommodation was working last autumn to put a roof over people’s heads.
“We’re now at a fork in the road. There is a real danger that more people will be faced with the streets as the cost-of-living crisis rages, as well as a roundabout of repeat rough sleeping. We see it in our services and councils are reporting it too – the biggest barrier to keeping people permanently off the streets is the lack of suitable, long-term homes.
“The government pledged to end rough sleeping by 2024, it cannot possibly achieve this goal without a proper plan to tackle the root causes. We need a road map out of homelessness – one that begins with making sure everyone at risk of the streets is given a safe place to stay, and ends with the building of truly affordable social homes.”
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https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/number-rough-sleepers-england-falls-23204790
