Homelessness

The number of households accepted by local housing authorities as owed the main homelessness duty in England between January and March 2009 was 26 per cent lower than for the same period in 2008. Homelessness acceptances peaked in 2003/04, and since then quarterly figures have dropped by 67 per cent, with year on year reductions.

In addition, the number of households living in temporary accommodation on 31 March 2009 had fallen by 17 per cent compared to 31 March 2008. Temporary accommodation has now fallen for 14 consecutive quarters and is over a third lower than during 2004. 88 per cent of households in temporary accommodation are in self-contained accommodation. Since April 2004, when the Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (England) Order 2003 came into force, local authorities can no longer discharge their duty to families with children accepted as homeless by placing them in Bed and Breakfast accommodation for longer than six weeks.

The National Rough Sleeping Estimate for 2008 published in September 2008 shows there are 483 people sleeping rough on the streets of England on any single night, based on the sum of counts undertaken in areas with a known or suspected rough sleeping problem. This represents a 74 per cent reduction in rough sleeping since the 1998 baseline. The Government is committed to reducing rough sleeping to a near as zero as possible.

News and latest releases

On 18 November 2008, at the Crisis Conference in the City of London, Homelessness Minister, Iain Wright MP launched the new rough sleeping strategy - No One Left Out - Communities ending rough sleeping, a fifteen point action plan that sets out our vision to work with partners to end rough sleeping by 2012.

Further information can be found in News Release: New goal to end rough sleeping - 18 November 2008.

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