National homelessness charity urges Westminster Government and Greater London Authority to deliver social and affordable housing quickly and prevent homelessness before it occurs 

Figures from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) released today show that the number of people “living on the streets” in London from April - June 2025 is up 26% from the same period last year and more than double compared to ten years ago.  

The data shows: 

• The number of people deemed to be ‘living on the streets’ is 788, up by 26% on the same period last year and up 102% compared to ten years ago. 

• A person is considered to be “living on the streets” if they have had multiple contacts with outreach teams over three weeks or more. 

• Overall 4392 people were recorded sleeping rough in London between April and June, up from 4% on the same time last year. This is up 58% compared to ten years ago.  

• The number of people sleeping rough for the first time in London between April and June has risen 4% compared to the same period last year and 33% from the number ten years ago. 

• The number women seen sleeping rough increased by 13% to 755 compared to same time last year. This made up 18% of all people seen sleeping rough between April and June. 

Several factors are driving people onto the streets and keeping them there including rising rents, real-terms cuts to housing benefit and significant gaps in support services. Underpinning these issues is a chronic shortage of social and affordable housing across Britain, which is pushing more people to the brink and into all forms of homelessness.   

The new data on rough sleeping follows government figures released last week showing more than 130,000 households in temporary accommodation in England at the end of March 2025. This includes almost 170,000 children – a record high. 

Crisis welcomes the recent commitment by the UK Government of £39bn in funding for social and affordable homes and the announcement of £100 million for homelessness prevention between 2026-27 and 2029-30. However, the charity stresses the need for these homes to be delivered as quickly as possible, for housing benefit to be restored to cover the cheapest third of rents, and for gaps in support services to be addressed. It emphasises the importance of addressing these issues in the forthcoming cross-government strategy on ending homelessness, due later this year, which will outline how departments will work together to tackle the issue.  

Rough sleeping remains the most dangerous form of homelessness, with research from Crisis showing that most people sleeping rough have experienced at least one form of violence, abuse or theft while on the streets.  

Responding to today’s figures, Matt Downie, chief executive at Crisis, said: “It’s shameful that the number of people who are destitute and forced to live on the streets continues to rise. Having to sleep rough is dangerous, dehumanising and damaging to people’s mental and physical health. 

“We have seen positive steps to tackle homelessness in the UK Government’s recent Spending Review, including vital funding for social and affordable housing. We were also pleased that the Mayor of London’s plan for tackling rough sleeping included housing as a solution. However, far too many people are still being forced to sleep rough across Britain.  

"It’s crucial that the forthcoming cross-government strategy for ending homelessness is joined up with plans for delivering social homes as quickly as possible, so that people can move into secure housing as a matter of urgency. Westminster must also reverse the cut to housing benefit, which is putting people at risk of losing their homes now, and fix gaps in support services so that people are not discharged from institutions including hospitals and prisons onto the streets.  

“Homelessness should not exist in our society. It can and must be prevented as a matter of national priority.”  

- ENDS - 

Notes to editors  

About CHAIN  

Today, Thursday 31 July 2025, the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) statistics have been published, showing levels of rough sleeping across London for the period April 2025 to June 2025. 

Conducted by outreach teams in regular contact with people on the streets, CHAIN is considered the most thorough approach to collecting data on people sleeping rough.  In quarterly data releases, a person is deemed to be “living on the streets” if they have had five contacts with outreach teams over three weeks or more.  

Read and download the latest CHAIN figures here. 

Women’s Rough Sleeping Census  

The third annual Women’s Rough Sleeping Census was published on 3 July 2025. Authored by Change Grow Live and Crisis, it found that over half (54%) of women reported sleeping rough in the types of public spaces that would not have been included in official data collection and therefore unlikely to receive support from outreach teams. 

To read the complete Women’s Rough Sleeping Census report, click here.  

Crisis research on experiences of rough sleeping 

Crisis conducted research in late 2023 with 157 people who had slept rough within the last two years. The survey was complemented by 20 in-depth interviews. 

Overall, 9 out of 10 (141) people had experienced at least one form of violence, abuse or theft whilst sleeping rough and half (51%) of research participants experienced being physically attacked whilst sleeping rough. 

Sixty-one per cent had been threatened with violence or intimidated and 72% had been verbally abused or harassed. Over half of participants (53%) had things thrown at them including bricks and beer cans, with 83% of participants experiencing having items thrown at them over three times. 

Read and download the full report here. 

Greater London Authority’s Rough Sleeping Plan of Action 

On 20 May 2025 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan published a plan of action to end rough sleeping in London by 2030. You can read the plan here. 

Statutory homelessness in England  

On 22 July 2025 the quarterly statistics for statutory homelessness assessments and activities in England between January - March 2025 were published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) and can be found here.   

The number of households in temporary accommodation in England was 131,140 at the end of March this year. This is a 12% rise on last year (117,350). There were 169,050 children living in temporary accommodation in England – a record high.