Following recent announcement to lower affordable housing targets
in the capital, Crisis urges ministers to focus on social housing
and publish an ambitious new homelessness strategy New data out
today show that between July and September 2025 an average of 23
people every day were forced to sleep rough for the first time in
London. The new figures from the Combined Homelessness and
Information Network (CHAIN) also show that: The number of people
living on the streets...Request free
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Following recent announcement to lower affordable housing
targets in the capital, Crisis urges ministers to focus on social
housing and publish an ambitious new homelessness strategy
New data out today show that between July and September 2025 an
average of 23 people every day were forced to sleep rough for the
first time in London.
The new figures from the Combined Homelessness and Information
Network (CHAIN) also show that:
The number of people living on the streets in London has
reached 759 – an 11% rise on the same period a year before, and
the second highest number on record
The number of people living on the streets has more than
doubled (102%) from the same period 10 years ago (July
2015-September 2015)
4,711 people were forced to sleep rough. While this is a 1%
decrease from the same period last year, this is the second
highest number since records began
The number of people sleeping rough for the first time was
2,116, down 10% compared to the same time the year before
As private rents continue to rise, benefits fall short of housing
costs and the supply of social and affordable housing decreases,
more and more people are struggling to find somewhere safe and
stable to live. Although London councils are now spending almost
£5 million per day to house people in temporary accommodation,
near record numbers of people are still falling through the gaps
– and experiencing the most dangerous form of homelessness.
Last week, charities expressed concern after the UK Government
and City Hall announced reduced affordable housing targets for
developers in London. While the aim of the policy is to increase
overall housebuilding rates, Crisis has emphasised that previous,
similar approaches to reducing targets and relying on faith in
market forces have not produced the required rates of new homes
for social rent.
Responding to today's figures, Matt Downie,
Chief Executive at Crisis, said:
“Tragically,
we are now used to seeing an average of 23 people forced to sleep
rough in London for the first time every single day. But what
we're also seeing is more people being forced to sleep on the
…
… Both would show they are determined to stop people facing the
threats and uncertainty of another cold night out on the streets,
and offer the different, more positive future of a safe and
stable home.”
-Ends-
Notes to Editor
About CHAIN
Today, Friday 31 October 2025, the Combined Homelessness and
Information Network (CHAIN) statistics have been published,
showing levels of rough sleeping across London for the period
July 2025 to September 2025.
Conducted by outreach teams in regular contact with people on the
streets, CHAIN is considered the most thorough approach to
collecting data on people sleeping rough.
In the CHAIN reports, people sleeping rough are grouped into
three categories:
New rough sleepers: Those who had not been contacted by outreach
teams rough sleeping before the period
Living on the streets: Those who have had a high number of
contacts over 3 weeks or more which suggests they are living on
the streets
Intermittent rough sleepers: People who were seen rough sleeping
before the period began at some point, and contacted in the
period - but not regularly enough to be ‘living on the streets'.
Greater London Authority's plan for tackling rough
sleeping
The Mayor of London has committed to working with the Westminster
Government to set London on a course to end rough sleeping by
2030. A new Rough Sleeping Plan of Action will set the framework
for achieving this goal.
