Charity Homeless Link has urged the government to change course, after the latest figures revealed an increase in the number of homeless households across the country.

Released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government at the end of November, the annual Statutory Homelessness statistics for England for 2024-25 show that on 31 March 2025, 130,890 households were in temporary accommodation, an increase of 11% from 31 March 2024. This includes 168,710 children, an 11% increase since 31 March 2024.

The figures also show that:

  • 330,410 households were assessed as owed a duty to prevent or relieve homelessness in 2024-25, an increase of 0.9% from 2023-24
  • 182,540 households were found to be homeless and owed a homelessness relief duty, an increase of 1.4% from 2023-24
  • 147,870 households were assessed as being threatened with homelessness, and therefore owed a prevention duty, a 0.3% increase from 2023-24
  • There was a 13.1% rise in households becoming homeless after leaving institutions such as hospital, prison, or looked after child placements, reaching 10,860 households
  • Households owed a prevention duty due to being required to leave accommodation provided by the Home Office as asylum support also increased by 10.7% on 2023-24, to 3,820 households.

Rick Henderson, CEO at Homeless Link, said: “These huge figures remain an awful reminder of the number of lives damaged by homelessness year after year, due to the policy failures of successive governments and government departments working in silo. We must not allow ourselves to become numb to these figures, instead continuing to push for the positive change we know is possible.

“[November’s] budget brought several wins to prevent and relieve homelessness. The chancellor scrapped the two-child benefit limit, remedied a long-standing flaw in the benefits system which left supported housing residents financially worse-off when they started to work, and committed to a review of homelessness service funding.

“But we continue to call on the government to radically change course to break the cycle of homelessness. All arms of government must be fully accountable so that people do not become homeless after being asked to leave asylum accommodation, discharged from hospital or released from prison. To prevent and end homelessness, the upcoming strategy must deliver an emergency response to the immediate crisis, and an ambitious, resourced plan to transform homelessness support within a decade.”