Rough sleeping in London continues to rise as 26% more people live on streets

Meanwhile, 2,115 people were rough sleeping for the first time – a 7% decrease on the same figure in 2023.

New rough sleepers now account for 46% of all rough sleepers, while 41% of those recorded were classed as intermittent rough sleepers and 15% were living on the streets.

John Glenton, executive director of care and support at housing association Riverside, said: “It is hugely concerning to see the rapid increase in people sleeping rough on the streets of the capital with numbers increasing by more than half in just three years.”

He added: “As we look towards the comprehensive Spending Review, the homelessness sector is crying out for long-term, ring-fenced funding. This will enable councils to invest more money in long-term homelessness services and prevent homelessness from occurring in the first place.”

The data also showed that 1,767 of the rough sleepers identified during the period had a mental health support need, equating to 50.1% of the total number of rough sleepers.

In addition, 35% of rough sleepers showed signs of more than one support need of alcohol, drugs and mental health.

Emma Haddad, chief executive of homelessness charity St Mungo’s, called the latest figures “incredibly concerning”.

Ms Haddad said: “We simply have to change the system so that people are getting help that prevents them having to sleep rough in the first place.

“A homelessness system focused on prevention means no one released from prison or hospital or care on to the streets; no one evicted from their accommodation because the landlord wants to double the rent; no one unable to find anywhere affordable to live because housing benefit has been frozen.”

Rick Henderson, chief executive of charity body Homeless Link, said the government and London mayor had shown “a positive start, but now is the time to get it right once and for all and end homelessness for good”. 

He said: “We are calling for a wholesale review and reset of the funding system and a national homelessness strategy that shifts the focus from crisis management to prevention.”

At the end of last month, the government proposed a reworking of homelessness grant funding to help councils shift their spending away from temporary accommodation and towards prevention.

This was after deputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner tripled the emergency support fund for rough sleepers to £30m.

Last week, London mayor Sadiq Khan pledged to invest an additional £10m to tackle rough sleeping in the capital, including a focus on prevention services.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “The government has inherited a terrible rough sleeping situation across London, but we are taking action to get back on track to ending homelessness for good.

“This includes tripling our emergency winter funding, including over £5m extra for London, to help more rough sleepers off the street and into safe and secure housing.

“This is alongside the largest-ever investment in homelessness prevention services for this year to prevent rough sleeping and see more homeless families out of temporary accommodation.”