Crisis responds to new statistics on deaths of people experiencing homelessness in 2021

Today, new data from the ONS has been released highlighting that 741 people died while homeless in England and Wales during 2021. 

This follows on from the National Records of Scotland (NRS) who yesterday released their data for 2021 reporting that 250 people died while homeless in Scotland.  

Additional analysis of the ONS data for England and Wales showed that:  

• The number of people who died while homeless in 2021 is an 7.7% increase on the previous year.  
• Of the 741 figure, 701 people were in England and 40 in Wales. 
• The average age of death for men experiencing homelessness was just 45.4 years and for women it was 43.2, decades shorter than the average for people not experiencing homelessness. 

These sobering figures come as Crisis prepares for an incredibly busy winter. From late December onwards, the charity will be providing hotel accommodation in London to hundreds of people who would otherwise be sleeping rough over Christmas. Crisis will also be supporting thousands in insecure accommodation across Britain, providing food, companionship and support with housing, benefits and training.

The charity is warning that demand for its services is increasing and shows no sign of abating as rents have risen at their fastest rate for 16 years across England, while in Wales less than 1% of private rented homes are affordable to people on housing benefit. This the charity says will see more and more households pushed into poverty as they struggle to keep up with the rising cost of living. Crisis is also urging the public to stand with people experiencing homelessness this winter via its urgent appeal so that thousands of people can get the vital support they need to leave homelessness behind. To donate visit:  crisis.org.uk/christmasgift 

Responding to the figures Matt Downie, Crisis Chief Executive, said: “Behind each of these statistics is a human being; an individual who tragically spent their last moments homeless. We know that being homeless often means feeling like you have nowhere to go and no one to turn to. It’s difficult to bear, but that will have been the experience of some of the real people behind these figures.  

“There is no excuse for this shameless suffering. For years we have been calling on the UK Government to expand the safeguarding system used to investigate the deaths of vulnerable adults to include everyone who has died while street homeless. This must be acted upon so we can learn lessons from these tragic deaths.  

“Our services are gearing up for an incredibly challenging winter, with thousands facing the brutality of homelessness as the rising cost of living pushes them to breaking point. These dire economic times must not lead to more people falling through the cracks and dying needlessly on our streets.

  “We can stop this before it’s too late. We need more social homes desperately and for the UK Government to invest in housing benefit so it covers the true cost of rents. Only decisive action will ensure everyone has a safe place to call home and prevent more loss of life in the future.”