Homelessness news - 1 Nov 2024

Rough Sleeping in London Increases

The number of people sleeping rough in London reached a record high of 4,780 between July and September 2024, marking an 18% increase from the previous year[1][3][6]. This rise has been attributed to increased first-time rough sleepers and long-term homelessness.

Financial Strain on Local Councils

London councils are spending £4 million daily on temporary housing, with over 183,000 people living in such accommodations[2]. This financial burden is compounded by a £700 million funding shortfall projected for the fiscal year 2025/26[2].

Government Funding and Challenges

The UK government announced an additional £233 million to address homelessness in the Autumn Budget[1][4]. However, experts argue that this funding is insufficient to bridge the gap in addressing the homelessness crisis[8].

Sources

[1] Numbers of people rough sleeping in London increases https://www.housingtoday.co.uk...

[2] Cost of housing homeless people in London £4m a day https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/art...

[3] Rough sleeping in London hits new record high https://www.bigissue.com/news/...

[4] The Week in Housing: Labour's first Budget https://www.insidehousing.co.u...

[5] Did the Autumn Budget go far enough on homelessness? https://www.insidehousing.co.u...

[6] Rough sleeping in London reaches record high in first few months https://harrowonline.org/2024/...

[7] Homeless Awareness Week https://news.exeter.gov.uk/hom...

[8] Homelessness funding in Budget 'unlikely to bridge gap' https://www.lgcplus.com/servic...