A charity has said the latest figures on rough sleeping levels in London are “shocking”.

The London specific CHAIN homelessness database released its quarterly report focusing on levels of rough sleeping in London between October and December 2022, which revealed:

• There were 1,700 people recorded as sleeping rough for the first time in London, a 29% increase on the same period of the previous year
• Overall, 3,570 people were recorded as sleeping in rough in London, a 21% increase on the same period for the previous year.

Responding to the statistics, Rick Henderson, CEO of Homeless Link, said: “Everyone deserves a safe place to live and the support they need to keep it. But these shocking statistics show that is very far from the reality in London. These aren’t just statistics, each and every number is a person. They could be a young person who’s recently left the care system, a woman fleeing domestic abuse or a refugee struggling to access what help they are entitled to. Each of them let down by the systems that should protect them.

“But, as homelessness rises sharply, homelessness services are struggling to stay afloat. Services have not received any additional funding in the face of rapidly rising costs, including energy bills. In a recent survey* of the homelessness sector, nearly half of services said they could face service closures. We would all hope that if ourselves or a loved one were to experience homelessness, they would have access to good quality support, but if the current funding crisis is allowed to continue then that support may well not be there.

“The government can act to change this situation. Due to inflation, the funding announced in 2021, before the cost of living crisis, is simply no longer enough. We need to see a funding uplift in line with inflation for homelessness support in the upcoming Spring Budget to ensure services are able to continue providing vital support to people experiencing homelessness.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, also responded to CHAIN’s figures: “The 21% increase in people sleeping rough on London’s streets is extremely concerning and further evidence of the devastating fallout from the cost of living crisis.

“I’m doing everything in my power to help those who find themselves out on the streets. Since I became mayor, City Hall services have helped a record 13,500 people, with the vast majority not seen sleeping rough again, and I’ve quadrupled our rough sleeping budget. Despite this progress, extraordinary financial pressures are putting the poorest Londoners at growing risk of homelessness and we continue to see a revolving door of people ending up homeless because of soaring costs.

“These figures demonstrate that we need much more support from central government if we’re to end rough sleeping in London and nationwide. It is high time ministers got a grip on the escalating food, energy and housing crises and restored the social security safety net which helps stop people becoming trapped in a cycle of homelessness. To do this, ministers must first fulfil their manifesto pledge to end no fault eviction for private renters and invest in new council and genuinely affordable homes to help prevent more Londoners from becoming homeless in the first place.”