Reports of rough sleeping in London have increased by nearly half in two years, according to newly released Greater London Authority data.
The GLA-funded Combined Homelessness and Information Network found the number of people seen rough sleeping in the capital rose 48% from 3,107 to 4,612, in data published on Friday.
This included 702 people recorded as living on the street, a 26% increase from a year ago.
Homeless charity St Mungo’s CEO Emma Haddad said: “That the latest rough sleeping figures for London have continued to rise is incredibly concerning.
“Behind every number is a person who has spent the night on the pavement in winter.
“A homelessness system focused on prevention means no one released from prison or hospital or care onto 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.”
The study found there were 760 rough sleepers with an armed forces background, 99 had been in care, and 161 were a combination of both.
More encouragingly, the latest total rough sleeping figure represented a 3.5% fall from the previous quarter.
Westminster remained by far the most frequent borough for rough sleeping reports with 945, making up more than a fifth of the London total.
Featured image: Garry Knight (Flickr) – CC BY 2.0 license
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