Rising Homelessness Crisis in England and Wales Highlights Policy Challenges
Rough sleeping is increasingly framed as a visible homelessness crisis across England and Wales, distinct from a simple housing shortage. The practice is currently illegal under the Vagrancy Act, which the government plans to scrap in line with election promises to decriminalise rough sleeping.
Data from Crisis reveals that homelessness in England has risen by 21% between 2022 and 2024 and by 45% since 2012, now affecting approximately 300,000 households. Westminster has seen a 25% increase in street sleeping over the past year alone.
Homelessness stems from a complex array of causes, including the release of prisoners, bans on migrant workers, refusals of treatment in A&E departments, difficulties in asylum claims, and breakdowns in marriages. Recent increases are linked to disarray in court and parole systems as well as immigration surges.
A historical example cited is the Clays Lane housing cooperative in Stratford, which was demolished in 2007 to make way for the Olympic village, displacing 450 mainly male residents.
The government reports spending approximately £844 million annually on emergency bed and breakfasts and hostels in England.
Critics argue that proposals from Labour leader Keir Starmer to tax and regulate private landlords may inadvertently reduce the availability of lower-end rental housing that homeless individuals often rely on. The analysis suggests that current policies appear to prioritize floating voters over addressing the needs of the poor.
Furthermore, UK housebuilding has significantly declined, with starts down about 55% in the past year. CBRE data indicate that two-thirds of London boroughs have seen no new housing starts, while around 1 million empty premises in old towns remain unused, representing a potential avenue for alleviating housing shortages.
