Shelter has released findings showing there are over 2,000 more homeless people in London on any given night in 2019, than there were in 2018.
The findings in Shelter's report [pdf], show estimates of 170,068 recorded homeless people on any given night in London — or to put it another way, one in 52 people. That figure includes rough sleepers and those in temporary accommodation. It does not include 'hidden homeless' — those who are not recorded in any official statistics. In 2017, it was estimated that there were 12,500 'hidden homeless people [pdf] in London each night.
Shelter's report indicates a rise in the level of homelessness from 2018, when the charity calculated the capital had 167,853 homeless people living here, or one in every 53 people.
The report goes on to break down the numbers by local authority, with London boroughs dominating the national results. The 12 local authorities with the highest rates of homelessness are all in the capital. Newham tops the list, with an estimated 14,535 homeless — or one in every 24 people.
Westminster has the highest number of rough sleepers: 306. This is over double the borough with the second highest number: Camden with 141.
The London borough with the lowest rate of homelessness is Merton — it has 446 homeless people, or one in every 462 people.
