Rough sleeping reached its highest level on record this year, according to a report by a homelessness membership body.
In London alone, nearly 12,000 people were seen sleeping rough according to the CHAIN (Combined Homelessness and Information Network) 2023-2024 annual report.
It is an almost 20% increase on 2022-2023 which surpasses all previous spikes in the capital.
Rick Henderson, CEO at Homeless Link, said: “The appalling rise in rough sleeping in London over the past year clearly shows that the next government must act decisively to address this crisis, both in the capital and across the country. It cannot continue to kick the can down the road.
“Instead, it must create a cross government plan to prevent rough sleeping and homelessness through delivering genuinely affordable and secure homes quickly, whilst making sure there are diverse range of properly funded homelessness services to help people address the root causes of their destitution and move on from rough sleeping for good.”
CHAIN records information about rough sleeping in London, which is commissioned and funded by the Mayor of London and managed by Homeless Link, the membership body for homelessness services in England.
The Labour manifesto calls to work with mayors and councils across the country to end homelessness, and ensure veterans have access to mental health, employment, and housing support.
The Liberal Democrats explicitly set a date in their manifesto to end rough sleeping within the next parliament, and introduce a ‘somewhere safe to stay’ legal duty to ensure that everyone at risk has emergency accommodation.
