London’s Poverty Profile
Benefits & welfare reform Demography Education Health Homelessness Housing Inequality Low income Low pay Work & Worklessness
Children Disabled People Ethnicity Migrants Pensioners Women Working-age adults Young adults
Overview of London Boroughs Barking & Dagenham Barnet Bexley Brent Bromley Camden City of London Croydon Ealing Enfield Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith & Fulham Haringey Harrow Havering Hillingdon Hounslow Islington Kensington & Chelsea Kingston upon Thames Lambeth Lewisham Merton Newham Redbridge Richmond upon Thames Southwark Sutton Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest Wandsworth Westminster

Homelessness

Key findings

8,100

people were recorded as sleeping rough at least once on London's streets in 2016/2017. This is the same level as last year - but three times higher than a decade ago.

39%

of homeless families that the council has a duty to house became homeless as a result of the end of a private tenancy.

7 in 10

of England's households in temporary accommodation arranged by the local council are Londoners.

Overview

This set of indicators cover Londoners sleeping rough and homeless families that local councils have a duty to house. Both kinds of homelessness reflect the lack of affordable housing in London. The problem is bigger than the numbers here: ‘hidden homelessness’ such as squatting, sofa-surfing, and ‘beds in sheds’ is by its nature difficult to estimate.

There were 8,100 people recorded as sleeping rough in 2016/2017, which is double the 2010/2011 figure. 75% of rough sleepers were in Inner London, with nearly a third of them in Westminster (32%). 

The number of homelessness acceptances dropped from the previous year, the first decline since 2009/10. These figures reflect statutory homelessness – those who the local authority has determined are legally entitled to assistance – and different local authorities interpretations of this measure varies significantly. More than 1 in 3 homeless households were placed by the local authority in temporary accommodation outside their home borough. This represents 19,700 households.

Homelessness: indicators

See all

Data

Rough sleepers in London

Data

Rough sleeping across London

Data

Homelessness acceptances over time

Data

Homelessness acceptances by borough

Data

Homelessness prevention/relief over time

Data

Homelessness prevention/relief destinations

You may also be interested in

Publication

Out of Pain: Breaking the cycle of physical pain and homelessness

22 Aug 2018

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