On Monday the CHAIN homelessness database published its annual report detailing levels of rough sleeping in London for the year from April 2024 to March 2025.
CHAIN is the UK’s most detailed and comprehensive rough sleeping database.
A record high of 13,231 people were recorded as sleeping rough in the capital in 2024/25, a 10% increase on the 11,993 people seen the previous year.
8,396 people were recorded as sleeping rough for the first time in 2024/25, a 5% annual rise in this group.
The number of people classed as ‘living on the streets’ increased by 27% – the highest ever annual rise – to 3,028 people.
The 2024/25 total of people recorded as sleeping rough is 63% higher than the total of 8,096 people seen rough sleeping ten years ago, in 2015/16. The number of people has risen year on year, with the exceptions of 2017/18, and 2021/22.
Rick Henderson, CEO at Homeless Link, the national membership body for frontline homelessness services, said, “It is devastating to see the number of people forced to sleep rough in London last year soar to record levels, with more and more people effectively trapped and living on the streets.
“We must break the cycle of the unacceptably high number of lives being exposed to the trauma of rough sleeping and risk of declining mental and physical health. No more excuses.
“The Government has committed to protect homelessness spending and established new programmes for homelessness prevention and adults with complex needs in the CSR. The Mayor of London’s Rough Sleeping Plan of Action is also welcome, setting out strong proposals for change.
It is now essential that the Homelessness Strategy capitalises on these foundations by placing more focus on preventing people from reaching crisis point. It must ease the silted-up system by investing in effective supported housing for those who need more than just a house to live in and specialist Housing First interventions for those with multiple and complex needs. And critically, it must ensure that all government departments have a stake in ensuring homelessness is prevented and ended for all.
“Let’s not forget that without a working health and social care system to provide the support needed to alleviate acute mental health and other needs that can be both the cause and effect of rough sleeping, a homelessness strategy will not succeed.”
