Published Article

HeadlineNumber of rough sleepers in London rises by 13%

Short HeadlineRough sleeping rising in London

StandfirstOfficial figures show the capital is the worst city for those sleeping rough

The number of rough sleepers in London has risen by 13%, despite the figure falling across the country.

The data comes from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

It said 1,283 people were sleeping rough in the capital. That’s after the coldest night of the winter so far.

Meanwhile, the number of rough sleepers across the nation is estimated to have fallen by 2%.

The latest statistics are based on a snapshot carried out by local authorities on a single night.

Rough sleepers in London rose by 146 from autumn 2017 to autumn 2018 and 27% of England’s rough sleepers now reside in the city.

Crisis chief executive Jon Sparkes said the scale of rough sleeping is a “damning reflection on our society.” He urged the Government to tackle the root causes.

The data came as the capital felt temperatures as low as -6.4C overnight.

Preventing rough sleeping is “becoming increasingly difficult”, according to local authorities. They estimate the homelessness services funding gap as more than £100 million for 2019/20.

“Proper resourcing of local government funding” is needed according to the Local Government Association’s housing spokesman Martin Tett. He said investment was “essential.”