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Of the 2,116 people new to the streets, just under three-quarters went on to spend one night sleeping rough while 470 \u2013 just over fifth \u2013 spent multiple nights out before moving off the streets.<\/p>\n
Just 4% of new rough sleepers went on to live on the streets longer-term. But they joined 759 people considered to be living on the streets, up 11% on the same period last year but a drop of 4% compared to April and June this year.<\/p>\n
Jo Carter, CEO of Glass Door Homeless Charity<\/a>, said leaders need to step up promises to boost prevention and stop people falling into homelessness.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery few months, new figures on homelessness are released, and we find ourselves repeating the same thing: that the situation is terrible, and that it will not get better until the government takes the steps necessary to address the root causes of the housing crisis,\u201d said Carter.<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n \u201cAll of that remains true now. Glass Door Homeless Charity\u2019s emergency night shelter network, which is the largest of its kind in the country, is opening for the winter in a few days\u2019 time. Last winter was our busiest season ever, and we know that over the next five months, thousands of people at risk of sleeping rough in the freezing cold will come to us seeking shelter.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe will do what we do every year, and provide as many of these people as possible with a safe place to sleep, as well as advice and support to help them move towards more permanent, stable housing. But we know that the scale of the problem is far beyond what we are able to tackle on our own.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n The Chain statistics also show an increase in the proportion of UK nationals spotted on the streets. They make up just over 50% of London\u2019s rough sleeping population, up from 47% in the previous quarter.<\/p>\n As the nation prepares to honour Remembrance Sunday, figures show that 3% of those sleeping rough had served in the armed forces. A total of 104 people sleeping rough had military experience but only 44 of them were UK nationals.\u00a0<\/p>\n Just over 7% of people spotted on the streets were aged under 25, including two people aged under 18.<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n Luton Sinfield, service manager at the London Youth Hub \u2013 the first and only youth-specific emergency accommodation of its kind in London, run by youth homelessness charity Depaul UK<\/a>, said the charity was struggling to keep up with demand.<\/p>\n He also warned the Home Office\u2019s decision to shorten notice periods<\/a> for people granted refugee to leave accommodation was having an impact.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the London Youth Hub, I see first-hand the pressures driving young people onto our streets,\u201d said Sinfield.<\/p>\n \u201cOur 26-bed pan-London service provides emergency accommodation for 18\u201324-year-olds at imminent risk of sleeping rough yet demand far exceeds capacity. We meet young people who desperately want to work, study and pursue their dreams, but who first need somewhere safe to stay.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWith rents sky-high, and thousands fearing homelessness this winter, the government must act urgently. We need a rapid increase in accommodation supply for young people at risk, and investment in preventative services to stop homelessness before it starts.\u201d<\/p>\n The stats come just a week after City Hall and the government agreed to reduce the percentage of affordable homes required to be built in new housing developments in order to get faster planning permission in London.<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n Housebuilders will be able to include just 20% affordable homes in their projects, down from 35%, in a bid to halt a slump in the number of homes being built in London.<\/p>\n Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis<\/a>, said: \u201cThe government has said they want to end the moral stain of homelessness. We back them to the hilt in that ambition \u2013 but we have real concerns that the solution they are presenting here doesn\u2019t come close to addressing the scale of the problem.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the years we\u2019ve seen how fiddling with targets and putting faith in market forces leads to nowhere near enough social rent homes being built. The stark and shameful truth of this is record levels of homelessness.\u201d<\/p>\n The Westminster government is expected to release a long-term cross-government strategy to tackle homelessness before the end of the year.<\/p>\n Fiona Colley, director of social change at Homeless Link<\/a>, the national membership body for frontline homelessness services, said the strategy must set out an emergency response and \u201cstart building a system equipped to create a country free from homelessness\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe best solution to rough sleeping is to stop it happening in the first place,\u201d said Colley. \u201cThat\u2019s true for the people who sit behind today\u2019s statistics, but prevention is also the most cost-effective solution for government.<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n \u201cPreventing homelessness is everyone\u2019s job: that\u2019s why we need true cross-departmental accountability and responsibility on prevention to be baked into the new homelessness strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this?\u00a0Get in touch and tell us more<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Reader-funded since 1991 \u2013 Big Issue brings you trustworthy journalism that drives real change.<\/strong><\/p>\n