Government urged to rethink how emergency housing help allocated

New rough sleeping statistics: Government urged to rethink how emergency housing help is allocated

As new figures show another increase in the number of people sleeping rough in London, The Salvation Army is urging the Government to change the law to prevent more people from ending up on the streets.

New CHAIN (Combined Homelessness and Information Network)* figures for London, released today show a 5% increase in rough sleeping compared to the same period the previous year. Despite the ever-growing need, councils in England have a duty to provide accommodation for people who are homeless only if they are deemed to be in ‘priority need’. 

Priority need includes parents with dependent children and people with a disability. While it’s important to protect these vulnerable groups, **new analysis from The Salvation Army shows that every 16 minutes in England someone is denied housing as they are not classed as priority need by their local authority, placing them at risk of rough sleeping. 

From October to December 2024: 

• In total, outreach teams recorded 4,612 individuals sleeping rough in the capital.
• Of that total:
  • new rough sleepers account for 46% of all rough sleepers 
  • intermittent rough sleepers account for 41% of all those recorded in the period, and; 
  • 15% of those recorded during the period were living on the streets

Director of The Salvation Army Homeless Services, Nick Redmore, said:

“We know that rough sleeping is increasing and yet everyday people are denied support because they do not fall into the category of ‘priority need.’ Many of those turned away will end up on the streets and then their ability to work, stay healthy and move back into independent living dramatically decreases. We can’t abandon people until they become so ill and vulnerable that they finally cross the threshold of ‘priority need.’ 

“Housing is a basic human need and everyone deserves a proper home and yet rough sleeping has reached crisis point. Furthermore, our new analysis highlights how almost one in three people are rejected for emergency or temporary accommodation by their local authority, based on priority need. Putting an end to people being forced to live on the streets should be a top priority for the Government. 

“We know local authorities do not want to turn people in need away and are having to make impossible funding decisions to make ends meet. However, by focusing only on those who are the most vulnerable means that rough sleeping figures will continue to rise and their countless intervention points are missed.”

To help end rough sleeping in England, The Salvation Army is calling for a change in the law. People who are forced to sleep rough should be included in the priority need category by local authorities and offered temporary and then longer-term accommodation. In the future, the church and charity want the priority need list to be abolished so that everyone who is homeless can receive assistance. 

Nick Redmore added:

“Every day, The Salvation Army helps people who sleep rough. Over this winter we have been providing emergency temporary accommodation to keep people safe and warm as well as drop-in support and hot food. Unless immediate action is taken by the Government, we fear that the number of people sleeping on our streets will continue to increase.” 

The Salvation Army is calling for the following measures. 

• In the short term, a change to homelessness legislation in England so that rough sleepers are added to the priority need list for emergency and then longer-term housing but, in the long term, for the priority need list to be abolished so everyone who is homeless can be helped. 

• The planned freeze of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) to be reversed so that people on lower incomes who are renting are eligible for support to pay their rent. LHA is the rate used to calculate housing benefit for private renters. 

• A commitment to a sustained investment and increase in housing stock and especially social housing in the UK to meet the needs of the growing numbers of people at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness. 

• An introduction of the same recording system of the rough sleeping population as in London (CHAIN statistics) to other cities and regions in the UK with high levels of homelessness, providing detailed information on the number of homeless people across the whole country in need of support.

The Salvation Army provide nearly 3,000 beds for people every night in 77 residential hostels, called Lifehouses, across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Officers, staff, and volunteers offer not only practical support in hot food, clothing and a friendly face but also access to wider support and signposting to specialist services and provision. 

*Rough sleeping in London (CHAIN reports) - London Datastore

**According to the latest statutory homelessness figures, 8,180 people were denied housing on the basis of priority need during April - June 2024. This equates to 8,180 people over 91 days, 90 people per day or 3.75 people per hour. 60 minutes divided by 3.5 is 16 minutes, hence every 16 minutes.