What is hidden homelessness? Twice as many people think rough sleeping is far more prevalent than ‘hidden homelessness’, which is incorrect. When asked if it is true or false that there are more people experiencing street homelessness than 'hidden homelessness' such as sleeping on a friend or relative’s sofa, 54% surveyed by the Centre for Homelessness Impact thought it was true, while only 24% were aware that the statement is false. It’s somewhat unsurprising that rough sleeping is what comes to mind for many people when they think of homelessness – after all, it’s the most visible experience of homelessness – but the truth is far more complicated and far-reaching. Knowledge of hidden homelessness allows us to expand the definition of homelessness beyond being simply a rough sleeping issue. Not only does this help break down common stigmas, but it also reminds us that homelessness can truly happen to anyone. We can’t end homelessness in London without ending all experiences of homelessness, so we must look at the bigger picture. That’s why we’re focusing on the different experiences of hidden homelessness, why it often falls under the radar, and who experiences it. Defining hidden homelessness There are a range of different definitions of hidden homelessness, depending on where you look, with no single definition being widely accepted as the standard. Crisis defines it as "people who may be considered homeless but whose housing situation is not ‘visible’ on the streets or in official statistics”, and similarly, the London Assembly Housing Commitee states that “hidden homeless people are those without a place to call home, but who are hidden from official statistics and not receiving support”. Single Homeless Project define it simply as people “without a home and living in informal situations”. These informal situations can look like a lot of different things, including the following: Examples of hidden homelessness Temporary accommodation Sofa-surfing Overcrowded households Hidden rough sleepers (sleeping on public transport, walking all night, etc) Squatting Unconventional structures (staying in tents, cars, caravans, sheds, etc) Hidden homelessness in London Last year, 685 out of the 2,338 guests we supported at Glass Door Homeless Charity were hidden homeless – that’s 29%, or nearly a third of all our cases. It’s more difficult to compare these numbers with the wider population of people experiencing homelessness in London because of the lack of reporting on hidden homelessness. While the most recent CHAIN data shows that outreach teams recorded 4,612 individuals sleeping rough in London, the true homelessness figures will be much higher. You only need to look at London-based statistics such as the 61,810 households living in temporary accommodation (2023), 13.7% of households living in overcrowded conditions (2021), and 71,400 sofa-surfing families (2019) to see why that 4,612 figure only scrapes the surface. Why we need to spotlight hidden homelessness Solving the issue of rough sleeping in London is a hugely important step, but we’re missing half of the picture if we don’t solve homelessness in all its forms. For that to happen, we have to spotlight the issues surrounding hidden homelessness. The reality of homelessness is underreported As we previously touched on, homelessness reporting is not always accurate because people experiencing it are often hidden from sight. This is especially true for women, who will generally exhaust all other options before sleeping on the streets at night. But what are the consequences of this? Inaccurate reporting means that we don’t have all of the data that could be used as evidence by policymakers in government to try and enact change. And this means that the people who don’t fall under the bracket of rough sleeping, such as women staying on sofas and families living in temporary accommodation, might not get the visibility, and therefore the support they need to end their homelessness. Homeless outreach is more difficult Outreach teams support rough sleepers in getting off the streets, usually looking for people who are obviously sleeping rough (i.e., bedded down), or to find people who have been referred to their services by someone else. However, it’s much more difficult to find and support rough sleepers who may be hiding or moving around to stay safe. For example, StreetLink is a centralised outreach service that responds to reports of rough sleepers who are looking for help, but they often require someone to stay bedded down in a particular spot for up to 72 hours. When it comes to other experiences such as sofa-surfing, squatting and overcrowding, outreach teams have no way of helping many people experiencing hidden homelessness unless they can or know how to access services. Who experiences hidden homelessness? Women Women have unique experiences of homelessness, with specific and sometimes complex needs. They are often forced to hide, stay in unsafe or exploitative sleeping situations, or stay on public transport or restaurants that are open 24 hours. In our Women’s Report from last year, we spoke to Anna, Migrant Services and Advocacy Manager at Glass Door, about some of the extra difficulties that women experiencing homeless face when it comes to reporting, outreach and receiving support. “The women we support face multiple barriers on their route out of homelessness including exclusion from services on the basis that they have not been ‘verified’ as a rough sleeper. Of the 226 women who stayed at Glass Door winter night shelters between November 2023 and April 2024, only 11.5% were recorded on CHAIN (Combined Homelessness and Information Network), a multi-agency database recording information about people sleeping rough in London.” “At Glass Door, we acknowledge that women experience homelessness differently to men. ‘Ending rough sleeping for good,’ as set out in government strategy, will not happen unless the specific and diverse needs of women experiencing homelessness are met.” Young people Another group more likely to experience hidden homelessness is young people aged 16 to 25 years. Many young people who are facing homelessness will rely on informal accommodation arrangements such as staying with friends, sofa-surfing and sleeping on floors, and may not realise that they are experiencing homelessness. So, whilst young people are in these informal arrangements, and not contacting support services, there is no real way of being able to support them in finding a route out of homelessness. Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, carried out a survey with young people staying in homeless accommodation. They found that 46% had stayed in an overcrowded property and 73% had sofa-surfed because they had nowhere else to stay. Both of these are forms of hidden homelessness. What can be done to support those experiencing hidden homelessness? At Glass Door Homeless Charity, we support anyone who turns to us for help, whether they’re sleeping rough, experiencing hidden homelessness, or are at risk of homelessness. And while it's important to understand the variety of people’s experiences, when it comes to addressing the problem, the fundamental solutions are similar for all different kinds of homelessness. These include preventing people falling into homelessness in the first place through rental reform, changing the benefits system to help people afford housing, and most significantly, expanding the social housing supply. However, there are some things we can do to spotlight hidden homelessness more effectively, and one of those is accurate reporting of homelessness cases that are missed in the reporting and data. The Women’s Rough Sleeping Census is just one example of this – the first census came out in 2023 and found that 815 women were identified compared to just 189 in the Government’s Rough Sleeping Census from the same year. Staff members at Glass Door contributed to the creation of the Women’s Census, and we will continue to do anything we can to highlight the needs of all people experiencing homelessness in our city. Manage Cookie Preferences
