28 February 2020

The BBC, the Guardian and several other media outlets feature Glass Door's reaction to the latest government statistics on rough sleeping.

These statistics, released yesterday, claim that the number of people rough sleeping in London fell for the first time in six years. While the news sounds positive, we argue that the report’s figures are misleading and contradict what we see on the ground (read full response: Glass Door warns thousands not counted in rough sleeping report...).

BBC News: 

The homelessness charities Crisis and Glass Door said the figures did not show the real scale of rough sleeping throughout the year.

The article quotes COO Lucy Abraham:

"We know that many of the borough coordinated street counts took place after Glass Door and many other charities had opened their shelter doors to rough sleepers for the winter."

These figures matter because they are used to allocate resources to tackle homelessness in London. If the government is committed to measuring the number of people who need support around their homelessness, they need to recognise those sleeping in emergency winter night shelters.

Glass Door also features in the Guardian. News reporters Sarah Marsh and Patrick Greenfield accuse the government of ‘hiding the true scale of the crisis’. They write:

“Glass Door homeless charity described the figures as a huge underestimate. It said the street count for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea took place after its shelters opened, for example, meaning none of the individuals staying in Glass Door shelters were included.”

Evidence from Glass Door shows that the number of rough sleepers continues to grow.

“In the first 90 days of Glass Door shelters opening this winter, 1,407 individuals sought shelter, compared with 1,138 in the same period last winter – a rise of 24%. The charity said it had provided shelter to 752 individuals so far this winter.”

Articles that covered Glass Door’s stance include: 

• The Guardian:  Data showing 9% fall in England rough sleeping 'not fit for purpose'
• BBC News:  Homelessness: Rough sleeping figures 'unacceptable' says Boris Johnson
• The Independent: The only way this government can reduce homelessness is by classifying a park bench as a studio flat
• The Big Issue: The Big Issue responds to England’s latest rough sleeping statistics
• London Post: Glass Door Homeless Charity warns that thousands are not counted in official rough sleeping estimates
• 24 Housing: Charities warn rough sleeper stats don’t add up
• Left Foot Forward: Government uses misleading figures on rough sleeping
• Morning Star Online: Labour asks statistics watchdog to investigate ‘undercounting’ of street homelessness
• East London and West Essex Guardian: London rough-sleeper numbers fall for first time in 6 years
• City Matters:  Charities warn government’s figures “grossly underestimate” rough sleeping levels

Read our full response