Number of people in temporary accommodation up 14%

The estimated number of homeless people in England living in temporary accommodation arranged by the council has increased by 14% to 279,390, as at 30 June 2023.

In the year before, 245,590 homeless people were living in temporary accommodation provided by the council.

The estimated total number of homeless people in England stands at 309,550 in 2023, compared to 271,421 in 2022, representing an overall increase of 14%.

Shelter’s report on homelessness in England in 2023, published on 14 December, is calculated using the temporary accommodation tables from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ (DLUHC) official homelessness statistics.

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The statistics show that the estimated number of people sleeping on the streets on a given night in 2023 has also increased.

The number of people sleeping rough has gone up to 3,069 in 2023, compared to 2,440 in 2022. This marks an increase of 25.7%.

Regionally, rates of homelessness are highest in London and the West Midlands. In London, 1 in 53 people are homeless, while the rate of homelessness in the West Midlands is 1 in 248.

Homelessness rates are calculated by comparing the estimated number of people who are homeless to the total population of the area, using the latest available ONS population statistics.

Shelter’s report states that it does not include hidden or unofficial forms of homelessness, such as sofa-surfing, or overcrowded households, and only measures what could be termed as ‘recorded homelessness’.