Rough Sleeper ‘Snapshot’ for 2018
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have released their annual statistics about the number of people sleeping rough in England.
This provides information on the single night snapshot of rough sleeping for autumn 2018. The snapshot is taken annually in England using street counts, evidence-based estimates, and estimates informed by spotlight street counts.
Key points:
- The total number of people counted or estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night was 4,677.
- This was down by 74 people or 2% from the 2017 total of 4,751, and was up 2,909 people or 165% from the 2010 total of 1,768.
- The number of people sleeping rough increased by 146 or 13% in London, and decreased by 220 or 6% in the rest of England, since 2017.
- London accounted for 27% of the total number of people sleeping rough in England. This is up from 24% of the England total in 2017.
- 64% were UK nationals, compared to 71% in 2017. 22% were EU nationals from outside the UK, compared to 16% in 2017. 3% were non-EU nationals, compared to 4% in 2017.
- 14% of the people recorded sleeping rough were women, the same as in 2017; and 6% were aged 25 years or under, compared to 8% in 2017.
The street counts, evidence-based estimates, and estimates informed by spotlight street counts aim to get as accurate a representation of the number of people sleeping rough as possible. This provides a way of estimating the number of people sleeping rough across England on a single night and assessing change over time.
Accurately counting or estimating the number of people sleeping rough within a local authority is inherently difficult given the hidden nature of rough sleeping. There are a range of factors that can impact on the number of people seen or thought to be sleeping rough on any given night. This includes the weather, where people choose to sleep, the date and time chosen, and the availability of alternatives such as night shelters.
Communities secretary James Brokenshire said his department’s strategy was “starting to have an effect” as official figures showed that, on a “snapshot night in autumn”, the number of people sleeping on the street had dropped to 4,677 from 4,751 the year before.”
But Housing charities have criticised government claims of falling numbers of rough sleepers as homeless shelters across Britain report unprecedented demand. Jon Sparkes, the chief executive of charity Crisis, said the count was widely believed to be an “unreliable” source which “significantly underestimated” the number of people experiencing the devastation of sleeping rough. Shelters in England, Wales and Scotland contacted by The Independent all reported record levels of demand as temperatures in parts of the country dropped as low as -14C.
On the snapshot count, Mr Sparkes said: “The problem is, these counts and estimates inevitably miss a significant number of people, including those not rough sleeping on that particular night, those hidden from view and who aren’t bedded down for the night.”
Homeless Link’s Chief Executive, Rick Henderson, commented: “Thousands of people are sleeping outside on our streets every night, and it is a shameful situation that so many are having to live like this in our country today, without a place to call home. Sleeping rough is extremely dangerous and detrimental to health – it has no place in our society and it reflects wider systems failure.”
“This is the first year since 2010 that we haven’t seen an increase in rough sleeping. Through the recent Rough Sleeping Strategy, there has been some targeted action with investment into outreach services and the homelessness sector, and we hope this shows that with investment and political will we can start to stem the tide. However, the situation would be far worse without the work being undertaken by our members, local homelessness services, many of whom are struggling as cuts continue to affect their ability to deliver these vital services.”
“This is barely scratching the surface of what needs to be done. To reach a zero sum by 2027, there must be a sustained cross-Government approach to tackling the structural causes of homelessness. We must fix our broken welfare system, tackle the poverty that so many people are living in, build more genuinely affordable homes, and work back from years of under investment in critical support services – our health and mental health services, drug and alcohol services, domestic violence services, and a challenged criminal justice system. Only then will we truly end rough sleeping for good.”
