homelessness in the uk statistics

Homelessness: statistics Homelessness is an increasing issue within the UK. Data for the total number of placements in temporary accommodation in Northern Ireland are available from April 2013 to March 2014 onwards; figures have remained largely stable, with 2,989 placements in April 2013 to March 2014 and 3,024 placements in the year April 2017 to March 2018. Homelessness affects a wide range of people, covering not just people sleeping rough but also those in temporary accommodation, sleeping at friends houses or sofa surfing, living in unfit dwellings, or who are soon to be without a permanent home. Web274,000 people in England are recorded as homeless according to Shelter research. There can be several issues that lead a family to this point, such as: In general, the most recent data for all countries indicate that most homeless applicants are male, without or before priority need assessment, except when looking at single parents only, when the majority are female. Overall, the number of people seeking help for homelessness based on the number of application decisions or number of presentations has been reasonably stable in the UK since around 2013. During the most recent quarter, 1,830 people were sleeping rough at the time of approaching a local authority for help, lower than the single night estimate for the same year. The second biggest contribution to the total number of households in temporary accommodation in England came from Birmingham (2.5%, March 2018). However, independent of priority need, Scotland and Northern Ireland show a comparable reduction in applications from young people. Scotland reports outcomes for homeless households irrespective of priority need in both their biannual and annual reports. WebCauses of homelessness vary across the UK access to benefits, economic growth and rent prices are key factors. From: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Annual statistics and time series data up to 2018 are included in the main analyses. Applicant Support Needs Including Physical and Mental Health England and Scotland report the length of time spent in temporary accommodation for households who have left (Figure 6). Wales and Northern Ireland also report loss of rented accommodation between April 2017 and March 2018, with 16% of households under relief duties in Wales and 15% of households presenting as homeless in Northern Ireland citing this as a reason for loss of home. Priority need refers to legal categories of individuals or groups who are homeless with specific circumstances, such as households with pregnant women or children or those with physical or mental health conditions. For households under homelessness relief duties in Wales, just over a quarter (28%) had an applicant aged 24 years or under between April 2017 and March 2018. Owing to substantial differences in legislation and data collection, alongside within-country changes to data collection, direct comparison of the number of people making homelessness applications and the number accepted for a housing duty is limited. Physical and mental health conditions emerge as primary priority need vulnerabilities or support needs among homeless households and, in general, analysis of the data suggests an increase in the complexity of household needs in recent years. The number of people living in the private rented sector who were at risk or became homeless due to a section However, this distribution may change in the coming years following the introduction of prevention and relief duties before priority need assessment. The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) and the Northern Ireland Department for Communities collect aggregated data for homelessness applications and households in temporary accommodation and publish a quarterly Housing Statistics report. Until April 2018, local authorities returned aggregated data for homelessness via P1E forms on a quarterly basis. Scotland does not assess for priority need at any stage of application, which should be taken into account when comparing with other countries. England and Wales experienced a drop in the number of decisions made on homelessness applications around 2004, following the Homelessness Act 2002, which placed extra prevention duties on local authorities (Figures 1a and 1c). Characteristics are largely similar for London and the rest of England. However, legislative changes in Wales from 2015 placing a greater emphasis on prevention and delaying priority need testing until later in the application process may influence this time series. For comparison, during the same time frame, the number of outcomes reaching priority need assessment stage increased by 38%. For example, case-level data in England and Scotland, aggregated data in Northern Ireland, and outcome-based data in Wales. Changes to relationships are a central reason for people becoming homeless. However, direct comparability can be challenging owing to differences in reporting categories and definitions. In 2016, 6 people were reported to be sleeping rough on a typical night in Belfast. Hide. Data for Wales are a snapshot of households in March 2018. Moreover, methodology has recently changed in Wales, in 2016, limiting the opportunity for comparison. The reasons for this increase are not clear but research is currently being carried out by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE). Homeless numbers in London In 2019/20 there were over 10.72 thousand people reported to be sleeping rough in London, over 2 thousand more than in the previous year. In July to September 2022, 46,740 single households were owed a prevention or relief duty, up 2.4% from July to September 2021. Inspired by success in Finland, where homelessness has been virtually eradicated, as well as the Governments 150 million Everyone In campaign that got the Applicants in Scotland are not assessed for priority need. Legislative changes brought in from April 2018 onwards introduced a new homelessness case level collection (H-CLIC) system and significantly changed the variables and information collected for homelessness in England. Data shown for Northern Ireland are a snapshot of placements on 10 January 2019. In Northern Ireland, priority need assessment takes place after a household presents as homeless and is deemed eligible for assistance2. An equivalent breakdown of household member vulnerabilities is not available for Northern Ireland. However, direct comparison between housing duties in different countries is difficult, primarily owing to differences in when priority need is assessed, if at all. England and Scotland report wider information on support needs identified for households presenting as homeless that are separate from legislative priority need categories. Categorical breakdown of household type is not the same across countries and has been grouped here where possible to allow for comparison. Scotland reports the household type for homeless applicants. This is a tool designed to P1E and H-CLIC data represent different cohorts of applicants, legislative duties and information collected and cannot be directly compared. Wales reported that 68% of households had been in temporary accommodation for less than six months as of March 2018, and Northern Ireland reported 39% of placements were for less than six months as of January 2019 (Figure 6). These placements may be in bed and breakfasts, hotels, hostels or refuges. Seeking help for homelessness is used here as a general term to include all country-specific cohorts of people reported to be homeless. In England, of the households accepted for a main housing duty owing to vulnerabilities, 29% were for physical health reasons and 38% for mental health reasons. Eligibility for temporary accommodation differs across the UK: in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, temporary housing is largely provided for applicants who are in priority need; in Scotland, all applicants are entitled to temporary accommodation. Consultations and strategy. However, in general, more male homeless applicants than female homeless applicants are reported across all countries, before or without priority need assessment (Figure 10). Please note: On 18 September 2019, the subtitle for Figure 9c was corrected from "Percentage change in main duty acceptances by age of main applicant, England, April 2012 to March 2013 compared with April 2017 to March 2018" to "Percentage change in presenters by age of main applicant, Northern Ireland, April 2012 to March 2013 compared with April 2017 to March 2018". The visit to the East Belfast Mission is part of a two More than 40,000 dogs and cats are in shelters across the country. The proportion of households in temporary accommodation with children reported in March 2018 was similar in Wales (39%) and Scotland (31%), but it was substantially higher in England (76%) (Figure 4). WebBulletin | Released 5 January 2023. Northern Ireland reports outcomes for households accepted for a housing duty over a six-month period. As with England, Northern Ireland reports the gender for single applicants only and shows a majority of single-male applicants before priority need assessment (64%). However, the proportions of households that are deemed to be intentionally homeless are consistently low in all countries. People sleeping rough represent one of the most vulnerable groups in society, and policies to end or reduce rough sleeping are a priority across the UK. Between April 2017 and March 2018, 8% of all outcomes for homeless households were accepted for a main housing duty, as households flowed through prevention and relief duties prior to priority need assessment. A central challenge to comparing the demographics of households seeking help for homelessness is the cohort reported by each country and the existence of priority need assessment bias. Please note: On 18 September 2019, the subtitle for Figure 2c was corrected from April 2017 to March 2018 to April to September 2018. The Prince of Wales has visited a community centre in east Belfast in his campaign to end homelessness. Northern Ireland reports the total number of accommodation placements over a six-month period (households may have multiple placements). In London, 1 in 53 people are without a home. By December, eviction filings were nearly back to pre-pandemic levels. Wales reports all data by outcome of application, both quarterly and annually. However, in general, when applicants are found accommodation, this tends to be in the social rented sector: Scotland and Northern Ireland rehome almost all applicants in social housing while England and Wales rehome across the social and private rented sector. To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. It is not possible to accurately estimate how long households are staying in temporary accommodation across the UK with currently available data, primarily owing to differences in data collection methods. Individuals or households who are homeless or threatened with homelessness will be owed a duty to help secure housing, which depends on country-specific legislation and the individual circumstances of the applicant. It aims to begin building a UK-wide picture of homelessness and to discuss comparability and coherence within currently available data. Northern Ireland also reported a similar figure to Scotland and Wales for the percentage of placements recorded as families (42%) between April and September 2018. Nationwide, its one of the main causes of youth homelessness. In addition, trends in the age of the main household member over time are similar across the UK: England, Scotland and Northern Ireland all show a downward trend in applicants aged 24 to 25 years and under and an upward trend for older adults aged 60 years and over. Around 1 in 12 households in temporary accommodation are reported to be in bed and breakfast-style accommodation with shared facilities across the UK as a whole. Trends suggest an increase in the complexity of homeless household needs in recent years, particularly in relation to physical and mental health conditions. Where possible, data beyond this time point have been used to confirm trends, but this was not available for all countries at the time of writing. The largest category of households seeking help for homelessness in England and Scotland are aged between 25 and 49 years, Figure 8d: Young adults account for around a quarter of households seeking help for homelessness across the UK. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. version of this document in a more accessible format, please email, Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Statutory homelessness in England: financial year 2020-21, Detailed local authority level tables: financial year 2020-21, Households without children, 2019-20 to 2020-21, Households with children, 2019-20 to 2020-21, Reason loss: households aged 16-24 by gender 2020-21, Duties owed by age and ethnicity 2020-21 (revised), Households aged 16-24 without children: 2020-21, Evaluating the extent of rough sleeping: local authority form and guidance, Statutory homelessness in England: October to December 2020, Statutory homelessness in England: January to March 2022. Data suggest an increase in the complexity of homeless applicant needs in recent years, particularly in relation to physical and mental health conditions among household members. In England, 2% of applicants were reported to be institution leavers from October to December 2018. The measure of annual consumer-price changes in the euro zones second-largest economy stood at 5.3% in June after 6% in May, statistics agency Insee said. In England, data are collected on a single night between 1 October and 30 November. Evidence shows that there is a considerable link between homelessness and mental health problems; however, this link is often overlooked. However, numbers for priority need categories are small (less than 400) and may be influenced by data quality issues between April 2015 and March 2016 following new legislation. Scotland accepts all applicants who are unintentionally homeless irrespective of priority need, which likely accounts for a higher proportion of acceptances compared with other countries during the same period. Above the age of 25 years, age breakdown is only available for England and Scotland. Landlords file around 3.6 million eviction cases every year. Legislative differences across the UK as to whether priority need is taken into account for temporary accommodation influences the ability to compare data, particularly for households with dependent or expected children. During the same period, 6% of applicants in Scotland were homeless upon discharge from hospital, care, prison or other institutions, while in Northern Ireland 2% of households presenting as homeless were people who had been released from prison or hospital care. Other includes those vulnerable as a result of time spent in care, in custody or in HM forces and those fleeing home because of violence or the threat of violence (other than domestic violence). We would like to use cookies to collect information about how you use ons.gov.uk. This report uses published government statistics on statutory homelessness, temporary accommodation and rough sleeping from the following data providers: Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG); Scottish Government; Welsh Government; Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE); and Northern Ireland Department for Communities. Similar to England, Wales also saw a drop in the number of main housing duty acceptances following the legislative changes introduced in 2015. However, as households may have multiple outcomes, this may not reflect a trend in applicants. It is therefore not possible to produce a UK-wide estimate for how long households are staying in temporary accommodation with currently available data. 27 Jun 2023 . It also reports on households in 16-24 year olds were homeless or at risk of homelessness in the UK. Legislation in England, Scotland and Wales outlines the unsuitability of bed and breakfast accommodation with shared facilities for those in priority need (Wales) or households with pregnant women and dependent children (England and Scotland). For simplicity and comparison with other countries, full housing duty is referred to from here as main housing duty. The length of stay can therefore influence the proportion of households in different types of accommodation. You have accepted additional cookies. In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the last five years show an upward trend in the number of older adults or pensioners applying for help with homelessness or being accepted for a main housing duty (Figures 9a to 9c), where they are the main applicant of the household. Scotland has also seen a slight increase in older homelessness applicants, though to a lesser degree than England and Northern Ireland, from 1,278 (April 2012 to March 2013) to 1,391 (April 2017 to March 2018) (Figure 9b). Owing to substantial differences in legislation, as described earlier, and differences in data recording (see Annex: Data sources), it is not possible to estimate the number of households currently seeking help for homelessness across the UK as a whole4. Find data. In addition, the proportion of families with children in temporary accommodation (Figure 4) may influence the type of accommodation in which households are placed. A quarter of people believe stray dogs are dangerous. Data for England and Scotland are temporary accommodation leavers during the year from April 2017 to March 2018. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Multiple data collection systems are used to collect quarterly data on homeless households. Both England and Wales have recently undergone major changes in legislation for homelessness, in 2018 and 2015 respectively. The largest category of households seeking help for homelessness in England and Scotland are aged between 25 and 49 years, Figure 9a: Trends indicate a fall in the number of applicants or main duty acceptances among younger adults and a rise among older adults or pensioner households in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Figure 9b: Trends indicate a fall in the number of applicants or main duty acceptances among younger adults and a rise among older adults or pensioner households in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Figure 9c: Trends indicate a fall in the number of applicants or main duty acceptances among younger adults and a rise among older adults or pensioner households in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Figure 10: The majority of homeless applicants or single-homeless applicants are male before or without priority need assessment, Figure 11: Rough sleeping estimates have risen since 2010 in London and the rest of England, Figure 12: Rough sleeping estimates using data from homelessness applications have fallen in Scotland since the period April 2010 to March 2011, Things you need to know about this release, Planned improvements to homelessness and rough sleeping statistics, interactive tool and statistical guidance for homelessness, Government Statistical Service (GSS) harmonisation report, Estimates of the population for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Harmonisation of Definitions of homelessness for UK Official Statistics: a feasibility report, Deaths of homeless people in England and Wales local authority estimates: 2013 to 2017, Health and homelessness in Scotland: research. Over the last five years, the numbers of rough sleepers identified across the whole of England have nearly doubled, from 2,414 to 4,677, though a small decrease was reported between 2017 and 2018. There are more than 50 stray cats per square kilometre in some cities. Web1. Data cannot be directly compared with Figure 8a. In general, across the UK, a person is regarded as homeless if they lack a secure place in which they are entitled to live or they are not reasonably able to stay where they currently live. Data are not directly comparable with Figure 7B. Research and statistics. Between April and September 2018, in Northern Ireland 6% of rejected assessment decisions were deemed intentionally homeless and in priority need. Without priority need assessment, case-level application data in Scotland are likely to capture a larger estimate of individuals sleeping rough than in England where single individuals not falling under a priority need category were potentially less likely to approach local authorities for help prior to legislative changes in place from 2018. The largest category of households seeking help for homelessness in England and Scotland are aged between 25 and 49 years, Figure 8c: Young adults account for around a quarter of households seeking help for homelessness across the UK. The reasons for main housing duty acceptance, based on priority need category, vary between countries with England accepting primarily for dependent children, prior to legislative changes in 2018, and Northern Ireland primarily for a vulnerable household member. Between April and September 2018, 32% of households in priority need were reported as having dependent or expected children and 67% as having a household member vulnerability, including violence4 (Figure 2c). Among single parents only, the majority of applicants are female. Time series data for young adults in Wales are available from April 2015 onwards only but conversely show an increase in the number of outcomes under relief duties for which the applicant is aged 16 to 24 years, from 2,031 (April 2015 to March 2016) to 3,153 (April 2017 to March 2018). Legislation is described in detail in the interactive tool for homelessness and the main points are summarised here. The government is about to start taking action against rogue landlords who exploit loopholes in the benefits As a result, demographic data reported for households that have undergone priority need assessment show a greater proportion of families compared with data reported before or without priority need assessment1. Northern Ireland has seen a similar increase in the number of pensioner households presenting as homeless, from 1,875 (April 2012 to March 2013) to 2,445 (April 2017 to March 2018 (Figure 9c). WebHomelessness policy is devolved across the UK and each country produces data and statistics on rough sleeping according to their own legislative framework; the different Scotland experienced a drop in the number of decisions made on homelessness applications from 2010, following an increase in prevention activities to prepare for the abolition of priority need in 2012 (Figure 1b). Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. However, as with England, among single parents , between April 2017 and March 2018, the large majority of applicants were female (80%). Figures reported for Wales between April 2017 and March 2018 were slightly higher, with 13% of outcomes under relief duties recorded as prison leavers (11%) or institution or care leavers (2%), but households may have multiple outcomes. Between April 2017 and March 2018, of the households that were successfully relieved an equal proportion were housed in the private rented sector and the social rented sector. Moreover, reporting categories are not the same and must be grouped for comparison, which limits the information available for analysis. In general, Northern Ireland has reported far lower estimates for people sleeping rough in Belfast compared with other UK cities, though there has been an increase in the last two years. Although legislative categories for priority need are broadly similar across the UK, the distribution of categories that households are recorded under varies between countries and is likely influenced by the time at which priority need is assessed. When applicants are found accommodation, Scotland and Northern Ireland rehome almost all applicants in social housing while England and Wales rehome across the social and private rented sector.

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