It has been an eventful few months in the UK, and the General Election cast a particular spotlight on issues like economic inequality, poverty and the current state of welfare provision for those living on the breadline.

We’d therefore like to use this opportunity to spotlight homelessness, and what the current realities of homelessness in the UK are:

• Over 300,000 people are homeless today in England alone, including over 140,000 children.
• London is particularly badly affected, with the borough of Newham having a rate of 1 in 20 people affected by homelessness.

These figures include both rough sleepers, those who are in temporary or supported accommodation, and the “hidden homeless” who may be sleeping on friends’ sofas.

• In the final months of 2023, Government figures showed a 16% jump in homelessness figures, reflecting the mounting effect of the cost-of-living crisis and the ongoing housing crisis.

• Research done in recent years shows more than 9 in 10 people who are homeless have suffered trauma either as a cause or consequence of becoming homeless. Domestic violence is a particularly common cause of homelessness.

• Of those sleeping rough, more than a third have suffered violence from members of the public and over half have been intimidated or harassed.

It is clear from this snapshot of homelessness in 2024 that more needs to be done to end homelessness and rough sleeping once and for all.

Church Homeless Charity is one of many organisations that can and do provide vital relief, but it is only by uniting in our calls for action that we will see real, permanent change in the year to come.