3rd October 2024

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government released its annual statistics on statutory homelessness in England earlier today. These show that between April 2023 and March 2024, 324,990 households were owed a homelessness duty by their council due to either experiencing or being threatened with homelessness, an 8.9% increase compared to the previous year.

Of those, 146,430 households were considered to be threatened with homelessness – a 3.1% increase; and 178,560 were assessed to be experiencing homelessness – a 12.3% increase.

The statistics also show that 117,450 households were in temporary accommodation as of 31st March 2024, a 12.3% increase on one year previously and the highest number on record.

Homelessness is especially concentrated in London, where people are much more likely than in the rest of England to be owed a homelessness duty or to be in temporary accommodation. More than one out of every five households recognised as experiencing homelessness by these statistics were in London.

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Jo Carter, CEO of Glass Door Homeless Charity, had the following to say:

“The latest figures on statutory homelessness are appalling, but sadly not surprising. We know the reasons why so many people are approaching their council for help with homelessness and why so many are in temporary accommodation. It can be boiled down to this: private renting is far too expensive and insecure, and there is nowhere near enough social housing.

We urge the government to push forwards the Renters’ Rights Bill, which could help give tenants more security. But making a real impact requires even more than this. We desperately need policies to stop rents from continuing to spiral and to reverse the 40-year decline in social housing.”

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You can read the full statistics here.