Rough Sleeping and Emergency Housing Surge as Councils Warn of Deepening Crisis
The number of people sleeping rough and households placed in unsuitable temporary accommodation has soared by approximately 150% since 2020, with over 15,000 individuals sleeping on the streets in the past year alone.
A national survey of local authorities in England, cited in the latest research, found that 70% of councils reported a rise in people seeking homelessness support over the last 12 months. The steepest increases were recorded in London and across the North of England.
Councils point to a chronic shortage of affordable housing and inadequate welfare provision as key drivers of the crisis. These pressures have forced local authorities to spend vast sums on emergency accommodation that often fails to meet basic standards—affecting a growing number of children. In 2023/24, councils in England spent £732 million on the most unsuitable forms of temporary housing. The total cost of temporary accommodation reached £2.7 billion in 2024/25.
With homelessness at record levels, Crisis is urging the UK Government to deliver the strategy pledged in Labour’s election manifesto. Ministers have committed to publishing the plan by Christmas, but the charity warns that any delay will worsen the crisis unless it tackles three core issues: the chronic shortage of social housing, inadequate welfare support, and systemic gaps in homelessness services.
Earlier this year, Westminster announced £39 billion for a “new generation” of social and affordable homes, including 180,000 new social homes over the next decade. Yet last month, the government reduced affordable housing targets in London from 35% to 20%, citing the need to accelerate delivery. Crisis has challenged this move, calling for cast-iron guarantees that social housing will be built at scale and not sidelined in favour of market-led development.
Ahead of the Autumn Budget on November 26, the charity is also demanding urgent reform of housing benefit. It says rates must be restored to reflect actual private rent levels and prevent low-income households from losing their homes.
According to an online property website, just 2.7% of private rented properties in England are currently affordable for people receiving housing benefit.
Crisis is calling on UK ministers to urgently address gaps in support services that leave people at risk of homelessness after exiting institutions such as hospitals, prisons, and asylum accommodation. The charity warns that without coordinated intervention, more individuals will be left with nowhere to live upon discharge or eviction.
New research reveals a 37% rise in homelessness linked to evictions from UK asylum accommodation over the past year, driven by the accelerated pace of Home Office decisions on asylum claims. Meanwhile, homelessness following discharge from hospitals, prisons, and other institutional settings has increased by 22%. This surge is partly attributed to the Government’s early prison release scheme, which has placed additional financial strain on local councils already struggling to meet demand.
Downie says: “These shocking new findings require a rapid response from the UK Government. No one should be forced to live in unsafe conditions, whether it’s children in poor-quality B&Bs or people having to sleep on the streets, in tents or in squats.
“We strongly welcomed the UK Government’s commitment of £39 billion for social and affordable housing. However, with councils across the country being pushed into effective bankruptcy because of the rising bill for temporary accommodation, we need a bold new approach to tackling homelessness. Ministers must deliver on their manifesto pledge to get the country back on track to ending homelessness, including a guarantee that social homes will be delivered as quickly as possible and at scale.
“The Government has said that it wants to see an immediate fall in homelessness levels. For this to be true, ministers must also focus their efforts on preventing it from happening in the first place.”