Homeless Link responds to CHAIN and Statutory Homelessness statistics

2 May 2024 04:20 PM

On 30/04/2024, two data sets were released, both showing huge rises in homelessness and rough sleeping.

CHAIN is a multi-agency database which records information about people sleeping rough in London. The latest data January to March 2024 shows the following: 

• 4118 people were recorded as sleeping rough in the capital. This is an increase of 1011 people, or 32%, when compared with January to March 2023.
• 2038 people were recorded as being ‘new to the streets’, meaning the first time they have been recorded sleeping rough in London. This is a 37% increase when compared with January to March 2023. 
• 56å% of people recorded sleeping rough were non-UK nationals, this is a 9% increase on the proportion of non-UK nationals in the same quarter last year, and a 48% increase in non-UK, non-EEA nationals over the same period.

DLUHC released the latest quarterly statutory homelessness statistics for October to December 2023, showing the following:

• 79,980 households were assessed as owed a duty to prevent or relieve homelessness by local authorities in England.
• 44,760 households were assessed as already homeless and owed a relief duty which is a 15.8% increase from the same quarter last year, and the highest quarterly total since the Homelessness Reduction Act was introduced.
• 34,220 households were assessed as being threatened with homelessness, and therefore owed a prevention duty which is up 4.8% from the same quarter last year.
• 5,790 households were threatened with homelessness due to service of a Section 21 notice to end an Assured Shorthold Tenancy – an increase of 10.9% from the same quarter last year.
• On 31st December 2023, 112,660 households were in temporary accommodation, which is an increase of 12.1% from 31st December 2022.
• Compared to the previous quarter, the number of households in temporary accommodation had increased by 3.4%. Households with children in temporary accommodation increased by 15.0% to 71,280.

Rick Henderson, CEO at Homeless Link, the national membership body for frontline homelessness services, said: 

“Everyone deserves a safe place to live and the support they need to keep it. But rough sleeping in London is close to record levels, while across the country tens of thousands of people are being forced into homelessness.

“This is a result of government decisions. It’s rough sleeping strategy has clearly failed. In certain areas, the impact of recent changes to the eviction process for newly recognised refugees led to a sudden rise in this group sleeping rough. Meanwhile, across the country, a lack of social housing and an insecure private rental system combine together to pressure people into homelessness. Many people who councils have a duty of care towards become trapped in costly, unsuitable temporary accommodation, while many others tragically end up sleeping rough.

“We were deeply disappointed to see the Government water down the Renters Reform Bill in favour of landlord interests, meanwhile it continues to do very little to address the other long-term causes of homelessness. It need to change its approach, favouring the wellbeing of those experiencing homelessness, to see any progress on these statistics in the future.”