New data published today, June 30, 2025, reveals a significant escalation in London’s rough sleeping crisis. Figures from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) show that the number of people recorded as ‘living on the streets’ in the capital reached a record high between April 2024 and March 2025. This surge highlights the deepening challenge of homelessness in one of the world’s major cities.
Escalating Crisis
The CHAIN data indicates that 3,028 individuals were recorded as ‘living on the streets’ in London during the 12-month period ending in March 2025. This represents a stark 27% increase compared to the same timeframe in the previous year (April 2023 to March 2024). The rise is even more dramatic over a longer view, marking a 90% increase from the figure recorded a decade ago (April 2014 to March 2015), when 1,595 people were estimated to be living on the streets.
Beyond those continuously ‘living on the streets’, the overall number of individuals forced to sleep rough in London during the April 2024 to March 2025 period totaled 13,231. This broader figure, which captures all recorded instances of rough sleeping including intermittent periods, also saw a significant rise, increasing by 10% from the preceding year.
The Influx of New Rough Sleepers
A particularly concerning trend highlighted by the CHAIN data is the substantial number of people experiencing rough sleeping for the first time. During the April 2024 to March 2025 period, 8,396 individuals were recorded as sleeping rough in London for the first time. This represents a 5% increase in new rough sleepers compared to the previous year.
The data provides insight into the diverse circumstances leading to rough sleeping. More than one in five of these new rough sleepers (specifically 23%) reported that their last settled home was in private rented accommodation. This statistic underscores the vulnerability of tenants in the private sector to losing their housing, often linked to rising rental costs, evictions, or inability to cover housing expenses.
Underlying Factors and Expert Analysis
National homelessness charity Crisis commented on the CHAIN figures, pointing to systemic issues driving the increase in rough sleeping. The charity cited rising rents across the UK, coupled with the inability of benefits to keep pace with housing costs, as primary factors pushing people into homelessness. They also highlighted critical gaps in support services, including those for mental health and domestic abuse, which can leave vulnerable individuals without safety nets.
Crisis emphasized that the core issue is an “urgent lack of social and affordable housing”. This deficit creates intense competition for limited housing, driving up costs and making stable accommodation increasingly inaccessible for low-income individuals and families. The charity noted that the national picture reflects this crisis, stating that over 320,000 households in England faced homelessness in the 2023/24 financial year. This figure is the highest on record, illustrating the widespread nature of the housing crisis.
The charity also pointed to the long-term decline in available social housing. Over the past decade, England has experienced a net loss of 180,067 social homes. This reduction in the most affordable and secure form of housing has exacerbated the problem, leaving 1.3 million households currently on social housing waiting lists across the country.
Calls for Action
In response to the escalating crisis, Crisis outlined a series of urgent policy recommendations for the UK Government. The charity is calling for a significant increase in the construction of social housing, specifically advocating for an additional 90,000 social rented homes to be built annually across England.
They also urged the government to increase funding allocated to homelessness prevention initiatives, arguing that investment upfront can prevent individuals from reaching crisis point. Furthermore, Crisis called for a national rollout of the ‘Housing First’ model, an evidence-based approach that provides immediate, unconditional housing to rough sleepers with complex needs, alongside intensive support. Finally, the charity reiterated the critical need to align housing benefit levels with actual local rent costs to ensure that benefits provide adequate support for securing housing in the private sector.
Conclusion
The latest data from CHAIN presents a stark picture of rising rough sleeping in London, reaching levels not seen in years. The significant increases in both the number of people ‘living on the streets’ and overall rough sleeping figures, coupled with the growing number of first-time rough sleepers from private rented accommodation, underscore the profound impact of the housing crisis and inadequate support systems. As highlighted by organizations like Crisis, addressing the urgent lack of social housing and implementing targeted policy interventions are critical steps needed to reverse this alarming trend and provide essential support for vulnerable individuals.
