Response to the MHCLG annual rough sleeping statistics

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG)  has today released their official rough sleeping statistics for Autumn 2018.

The numbers are gathered annually in England using street counts which are carried out by charities and local authorities on a single representative night. The leading statistic shows that 4,677 people were found to be sleeping rough on that evening, a 2% reduction from Autumn 2017 when the number was 4,751.

The figures show that London accounted for 27% of all rough sleepers, up from 24% last year, showing that rough sleeping in the capital is still very much on the rise.

Figure counts from the evening in Autumn 2018 also show that the number of EU nationals sleeping rough in London is at an all-time high, with this group accounting for 22% of all rough sleepers – up from 16% last year.

The statistics are significantly higher for this group in London, with EU rough sleepers accounting for 48% of the total count in the capital.

Catherine Parsons, Director of Operations at Thames Reach, said: “Any reduction is encouraging, and shows the initial impact of the additional resources and co-ordination through the rough sleeping initiative.

“Although the number has fallen slightly at a national level, the numbers of those sleeping rough in London continue to rise, an increase largely driven by people from the EU and new rough sleepers.

The London figures are reflected in the quarterly CHAIN data, published today. These figures can be accessed here.

You can read the MHCLG statistics here.