Britain’s housing crisis continues to deepen as the number of people sleeping rough has increased by 20 per cent in just one year, a new report has revealed.
There are now at least 4,667 sleeping on the streets on any given night in England, the annual report from Shelter finds, with hundreds of thousands more experiencing other forms of homelessness.
Over 380,000 people, including 175,025 children, are now homeless in the country, the housing charity has said. This is up eight per cent from a year ago, equivalent to 28,602 more people.
The stark figure means that 1 in every 153 people in England are now experiencing homelessness, rising to 1 in 45 in London.
Sarah Elliott, Shelter CEO, said: “It’s unthinkable that as winter sets in, more than 382,000 people are without a safe place to call home. Thousands of people are bracing themselves for their next freezing night on the street, while over 84,000 families are facing up to the grim reality of spending Christmas in damaging temporary accommodation.
“Every day at Shelter we hear from parents who are terrified of waiting out another winter in appalling temporary accommodation. Cut off from family and friends in a bleak emergency B&B that’s miles away, they watch as their children’s breath hangs in the air and mould climbs the walls.”
The report also found that:
- Over 90 per cent of the people recorded as homeless – including 84,240 families – are in temporary accommodation
- At least 4,031 people are in accommodation provided by social services
- An estimated 16,294 additional single people are in hostels or other homeless accommodation
The findings come as Labour shares its plans to end homelessness, pledging £3.5 billion in a renewed drive. The government says the funding will deliver an increased rate of prevention, halve the number of people sleeping rough, and end the unlawful use of B&Bs for families.
Announcing the plans, housing secretary Steve Reed said: “Homelessness is one of the most profound challenges we face as a society, because at the heart, it’s about people. Families deserve stability, children need a safe place to grow, and individuals simply want the dignity of a home.
“Through our new strategy we can build a future where homelessness is rare, brief, and not repeated. With record investment, new duties on public services, and a relentless focus on accountability, we will turn ambition into reality.”
The government also passed its Renters’ Rights Bill in October, which will give tenants major new protections from next year, and has reiterated its pledge to build 1.5 million homes this parliament.
But Shelter and other housing campaigners have urged ministers to go further by ending the freeze on housing benefit, which limits how much financial support tenants can claim to pay their rents.
After being relinked to cheapest 30 per cent of rental homes in an area in April 2024, Labour re-froze housing benefit rates with no deadline to unfreeze them. This means, as rental prices continue to quickly rise, the amount tenants are able to claim towards the cost remains the same.
It’s unlikely the government will announce a change to this policy before later in 2026, with ministers indicating that lowering welfare spending remains a key priority. However, doing so “would immediately lift thousands of children out of temporary accommodation and into a home”, Ms Elliot said.
Georgia, 36, is an administrator for a home care service, living in Norfolk. With her 7-year-old son, she spent five months in temporary accommodation earlier this year after a marriage breakdown left her homeless.
She said: “I only found out we were being evicted two days before the bailiffs arrived. It was such a shock. The council found us a room in a B&B. It had a tiny little kitchen area, two single beds, a toilet and a bath all in one room. I told my boy we were staying there until we got our forever home.”
“Living in temporary accommodation impacted everything. We had to rehome our cat and dog and I had to leave my job due to all the upheaval. The place was 45 minutes away from my son’s school. He was really tired and unsettled. It severely impacted my mental health. I barely left the room for months. I was crying every day.”
The single mother was able to find a permanent social home after she approached Shelter, who were able to offer her legal advice and appeal the council’s decision.
“We are really happy. My son’s toys were the first things to come out of storage. It’s amazing to see him relax and play again. It was all so uncertain before. We could be told to go with barely any notice. Now I know my son is safe and this home is ours.”
