\u201cGovernment and the third sector should focus on finding people a sustainable exit route from rough sleeping that keeps them off the streets \u2013 the very principle the Big Issue was founded on 35 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The Labour government unveiled its \u00a33.6 billion homelessness strategy<\/a> at the end of 2025, pledging to halve rough sleeping by 2030 and to reduce the number of families living in temporary accommodation<\/p>\n This week, bidding also opened for Labour\u2019s \u00a339bn 10-year social and affordable homes programme<\/a>, which is intended to boost the number of homes available for social rent.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, ministers have announced two funds aimed at boosting community responses to homelessness and helping areas where rough sleeping is most acute to turn things around.<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n But the latest statistics show the government has a mountain to climb to reduce rough sleeping in England.<\/p>\n The annual snapshot found 8.2 people per 100,000 in England\u2019s population are now sleeping rough with 43% of the country\u2019s total located in London and the South East.<\/p>\n The North West saw the biggest regional increase of 20%, rising from 367 in 2024 to 441 people in 2025. Three areas recorded a fall in the number of rough sleepers: Yorkshire and The Humber, East Midlands and London. The latter was down 3%.<\/p>\n The majority of people sleeping rough in England are male, aged over 26 years old and from the UK.<\/p>\n Bonnie Williams, chief executive of Housing Justice<\/a> said: \u201cWe are disappointed to see that the number of people being forced into rough sleeping around the country continues to rise. After years of growing numbers, we very much hope that this year will be a turning point.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe underlying pressures that drive homelessness have not disappeared and while rough sleeping is the most visible form of homelessness, it is only part of the picture. The record numbers of households in temporary accommodation show just how many families are living in limbo.<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n \u201cWe welcome the government\u2019s new homelessness strategy, particularly its stronger emphasis on prevention and early intervention. Preventing people from reaching crisis point, improving pathways out of temporary accommodation, and strengthening partnership working across housing, health and local government will be essential if we are to see sustained change.\u201d<\/p>\n Rick Henderson, CEO at Homeless Link<\/a>, the national membership body for frontline homelessness services, described the record-high as \u201cdevastating\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere can be no question that ending this atrocious situation must be a political and social priority,\u201d he added. \u201cWith the National Plan to End Homelessness<\/a> in place, including specific national targets on rough sleeping, urgent action is needed to ensure this plan achieves change.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe current system is nearing collapse, as the underfunding and decommissioning of services in the face of acute need has left people in crisis with nowhere to turn. It is now vital that local councils use their new funding to secure the provision of the homelessness support services that offer a lifeline to people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping, from day services to emergency accommodation and supported housing.\u201d<\/p>\n The single-night snapshot count is widely considered an underestimate of the number of people rough sleeping.<\/p>\n The government also separately tracks rough sleeping<\/a> over the month. That data found an estimated 8,010 people slept rough in December last year, up 7% on the same month a year previously.<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n It\u2019s not only on the streets where homelessness is rising.<\/p>\n Separate government statistics<\/a> showed 134,760 households were in temporary accommodation in September last year, up 1.8% from July and 7% higher than a year previously.<\/p>\n Almost two-thirds of those households were families with children, meaning 175,990 kids were growing up in temporary accommodation across England \u2013 also a record high.<\/p>\n Read more: <\/strong><\/p>\n Alexia Murphy, CEO of youth homelessness charity Depaul UK<\/a>, said: \u201cOfficial figures will only ever show part of the picture. Behind every statistic are real people \u2013 including many young people whose experiences of homelessness are often hidden from view. Too many are facing growing insecurity, rising anxiety about their futures and uncertainty about where to turn when they need help.<\/p>\n \u201cAt Depaul UK, we are increasingly hearing from young people who feel they are at a crisis point or approaching it. That is why we urgently need a renewed focus on preventing youth homelessness long before a young person ends up with nowhere safe to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n As the statistics were released, the government announced two new funds to reduce homelessness.<\/p>\n The \u00a337 million Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund will go to voluntary, community and faith groups often the first port of call for people in crisis.<\/p>\n A further \u00a315 million Long-Term Rough Sleeping Innovation Programme will target the 28 areas facing the greatest long-term rough-sleeping pressures, including London. The funding is intended to find joined-up solutions to get people off the streets for good.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the coldest months of the year and wet weather continue, for many, the harsh reality of homelessness becomes harder than ever \u2013 particularly for someone bedding down on the street,\u201d said homelessness minister McGovern<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd we know the picture is even starker for women with domestic abuse being a significant driver of homelessness. No one should end up on the streets because of violence at home.<\/p>\n \u201cThis package strengthens the organisations who stand beside people at their most vulnerable. By supporting frontline teams, encouraging fresh thinking and bringing services together, we\u2019re working to ensure people get the stability and hope they need to build a better future.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertising helps fund Big Issue\u2019s mission to end poverty<\/p>\n Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Change a vendor\u2019s life this winter.<\/strong><\/p>\n Buy from your local Big Issue vendor every week \u2013 and always take the magazine. It\u2019s how vendors earn with dignity and how we fund our work to end poverty.<\/strong><\/p>\n You can also support online with a <\/strong>vendor support kit<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0or a <\/strong>magazine subscription<\/strong><\/a>. Thank you for standing with Big Issue vendors.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cTo turn off the tap, it\u2019s high time Westminster turned its attention to unpicking the causes of this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":790234,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5008],"tags":[748,393,4884,6332,6333,12,17562,16,15],"class_list":["post-790233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-england","tag-britain","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-homelessness","tag-housing","tag-news","tag-rough-sleeping","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116136928288549965","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=790233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790233\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/790234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=790233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=790233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=790233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/800x250-bookazine.png\")
<\/p>\n