Addressing the highest levels of rough sleeping since records began

This week, the government released the latest annual snapshot of rough sleeping in England, and it makes for some very sober reading. With the cost-of-living crisis showing no sign of slowing down, and a shortage of social and affordable housing, the figures are now at their highest point since records began in 2010, with 4,793 people estimated to be sleeping rough on any one night.

London accounts for almost a third of  England’s rough sleeping population, with 1,277 people recorded during the count. However, this is just a snapshot, and the reality of homelessness is that many people sleeping rough will not be visible to outreach workers conducting the count. This is particularly true for women and young people, who are at additional risk of danger while on the streets, so will sleep or stay in more discreet spaces. In our borough of Newham – where 1 in 18 people are currently facing homelessness – poverty and rising costs of rent, food, and bills make even more people at high risk of losing their home.

Fowsiya Abdulle, Head of Services at Your Place, says: “With rough sleeping figures being the highest we have seen, we cannot forget that each of those numbers represents a person whose life has been impacted by homelessness. At Your Place, we see this impact every day: many of our residents have experienced a period of sleeping rough, and unstable housing, whether they left care as young people, fled domestic abuse, or struggled with mental ill health or substance use which led them to lose their accommodation.  Ending rough sleeping must now become an urgent political priority, and that means backing up promises with proper investment in frontline services like ours, so we can quickly support people to rebuild their lives when they need us.”

At Your Place, we support 153 people at any given time. From the moment someone walks through our doors, they are treated with the respect they deserve and need. Each person is assigned a dedicated key worker, who will give them the time they need to tell their story, and talk them through what support we can offer. While the housing crisis is a significant factor in the rise of homelessness and rough sleeping, our residents come to us from a range of situations, such as unfair evictions, family and relationship breakdowns, and leaving Home Office accommodation.

Homelessness is often the result of support needs not being met, and at Your Place we collaborate with partner organisations specialising in mental health, immigration, physical health, women’s support, and domestic abuse, to ensure that the needs of people facing homelessness are heard and addressed.

We call for the government to ensure that funding is allocated in a way that not only prevents homelessness, but also ensures that when it does occur, it can be resolved quickly. It is essential that each person facing homelessness receives both immediate support and also the long-term, personalised support that they need to rebuild their lives.