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.
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.
From our Twitter
@povertylondon
Wandsworth has the joint lowest unemployment ratio of any London borough - 3.5%. pic.twitter.com/w3WgwzvEbK
21 Aug 2018The number of adult Londoners in working families who are living in poverty has risen by 270,000 over the last decade. https://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/data/topics/low-income/ …
21 Aug 2018The poverty rate in Wandsworth is 22%, 5 percentage points below the London average. pic.twitter.com/8CIgrs3j0C
20 Aug 2018The percentage of unemployed people who claim benefits has fallen since 2010. This suggests that there is a widening gap between benefit receipt and benefit need. https://www.trustforlondon.org.uk/data/topics/benefits-welfare-reform/ …
20 Aug 20182005/06 - 110,000 children in London’s private rental sector living in poverty. 2015/16 – 300,000 children in London’s private rental sector living in poverty. There are now equal numbers of children in the private rented and social rented sectors in poverty. pic.twitter.com/K3wuvBfxFE
20 Aug 2018