Deaths of people sleeping rough in UK rise 42%, investigation finds

The organisation took over the project, which collects and analyses data about people who die while they are homeless, from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in 2019.

The MoH said the overall picture is “incredibly grim, demonstrating that the Labour government needs to act fast to reverse years of cuts and decline”.

It found that people experiencing homelessness are at least three times more likely to be murdered. It also identified a 20% increase in young homeless people dying by suicide. 

The MoH said that the lack of effective services “means that people are forced into dangerous situations for shelter” and “these deaths are tragedies that should never occur”.

Fatalities from alcohol, drugs and suicide – known as ‘deaths of despair’ – made up 47% of deaths where the cause of death was known. 

At least 38 people are known to have died by suicide while experiencing homelessness in 2023. Almost half of these (47%) were people under the age of 35, a 20% increase compared to 2022. 

Barriers to accessing mental health support remain a “significant challenge” for people experiencing homelessness, MoH said, as does the “isolation and mistrust arising from surveillance and enforcement action taken by police, councils and private security firms”.

The data shows “stark” regional inequalities in England, with people in rural areas dying up to 10 years younger, and the North East having the highest death rate outside London.

Cardiff saw a 59% increase in the number of people who died while homeless last year, with 58% of those deaths fitting the category of ‘deaths of despair’.

Gill Taylor, strategic lead for the Dying Homeless Project, said it is “incredibly disappointing” that some local authorities are “still not counting the numbers of people dying homeless in their area”. 

“The evidence is clear that counting, reviewing and learning from deaths is key to preventing further loss of life. Every council should be recording homeless deaths and taking decisive action to prevent them,” Ms Taylor said. 

The MoH said the “national emergency” is “clearly linked to insufficient investment in life-saving ‘off-the-streets’ accommodation and to the widespread closure of winter shelters since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic”. 

The charity said “urgent investment is needed to ensure more lives are not lost this winter”.

Matt Turtle, co-director of MoH, said “People are dying on the street at terrifying rates. The only way to tackle this emergency is with an increase in support for off-the-streets accommodation, like winter shelters. 

“The systems of care for people living with poverty and homelessness are in tatters after 15 years of cuts and corruption. Labour has not yet set out plans to mitigate the damage caused by the last government. Our analysis indicates things are set to get much grimmer, unless the government acts now to save lives.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “Every one of these deaths is a tragedy and is a damning indictment of the disgraceful rise in homelessness in recent years which has a devastating impact.

“We are taking action by setting up a dedicated cross-government group, chaired by the deputy prime minister, to develop a long-term strategy to get us back on track to end homelessness. 

“Councils and their partners deliver vital work to tackle rough sleeping including drug and alcohol treatment and wraparound support. Funding allocations will be set out following the Budget.”

Inside Housing understands that the government will consider the report’s findings as it develops its new cross-governmental strategy to end homelessness.