Housing and homelessness
Key points
- While the proportion of households in London newly recognised as homeless in London is a little higher than in any other English region, the rate of homelessness is very similar to - and sometimes lower than - that in other large cities in England.
- At the borough level, there is little pattern to the distribution of homelessness. Boroughs in the East, such as Tower Hamlets, have high levels of new acceptances, but so do boroughs in the West, such as Brent.
- Some boroughs such as Hackney with high rates of unemployment have high rates of homelessness. But, for instance, Ealing has only an average rate of unemployment but a high rate of homelessness.
- The proportion of households in London living in temporary accommodation - around 1.4% - is many times higher than that in any other English region or city: (e.g. four times higher than Manchester, the city with the second highest rate). The basic reason for London's exceptionally high rate is the much longer time that a household typically spends in temporary accommodation compared with elsewhere.
- The proportion of households living in temporary accommodation has decreased in the last two years, however, in London and elsewhere.
- At the borough level, the highest proportion of households in temporary accommodation is 6% (Newham and Haringey). Even the boroughs with the lowest rates (about 0.5%) are still above the England average. In general, rates of temporary accommodation are higher in North London than South London.
- According to the 2001 Census, the proportion of households living in overcrowded conditions was far higher in London than in other regions in England. In Inner London, the proportion of households in overcrowded accommodation was over four times as high as anywhere outside London. Almost all Inner London boroughs had a higher proportion of overcrowded households than any Outer London borough.
Find out more about Housing and homelessness by visiting the indicators in this section, listed on the right.
This section of the site looks at indicators of housing need and suitability - households recognised as homeless, households in temporary accommodation and households in overcrowded accommodation.
Initiatives to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in London
In November 2008, the Mayor published the London Housing strategy. Recent local area agreements between boroughs in London have pledged to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation by 17,000 by 2010. Other agreements pledge to increase the number of affordable homes by 30,000 over a similar time period.
The Mayor launched the Rough Sleepers' strategy in 2001, with the aim of reducing the number of people sleeping on London's streets and ultimately ending rough sleeping for good. The number of rough sleepers has – using the official figures – decreased since the beginning of the decade, but the decrease was below the target of two-thirds set by the then Mayor in 2001.
The Government has restated its aim to eradicate rough sleeping in time for the 2012 Olympics, but the official number of rough sleepers, both in London and nationwide, has not come down in the last four years after falling substantially in the earlier part of the decade.
Though this is the most visible and extreme form of homelessness, rough sleeping accounts for a small part of all homelessness. This is true even in London which is estimated by government to contain half of all rough sleepers. While official statistics inevitably contain some approximations and are contested by many charities working to combat homelessness, the most recent official estimates imply that the number of rough sleepers in London in any one night is about 240.
Data used
London Councils, Government Office for London (2008) The London Narrative
Department for Communities and Local Government (2008) Rough sleeping 10 years on: From the streets to independent living and opportunity
Department for Communities and Local Government, Rough Sleeping Estimates in England June 2008 survey suggested that, of 483 rough sleepers in England, 238 were in London. Not all local authorities carried out a count of rough sleepers in that year, so the figures should be treated with caution. Moreover, they are contested by homelessness charities as being far too low.
Relevant Indicators
Glossary
Inner London:
Camden, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, Westminster
Outer London:
Barking & Dagenham, Barnet, Bromley, Bexley, Brent, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, Waltham Forest
Overcrowding:
The definition of overcrowding used here is that used in the 2001 Census. It is based on a calculation of how many rooms are needed for that household, taking into account its size and composition. Any household lacking one or more rooms compared to the calculation would be defined as overcrowded.
Homeless:
To be formally recognised as homeless, the person or household must either lack a 'licence to occupy' a home, be unable to access their normal accommodation, or it must be considered unreasonable for them to have to occupy the home they are in
(Adapted from the Housing Act 1996 Part VII para 175)
Temporary Accommodation:
Otherwise known as "interim" or "emergency" accommodation in B&Bs, hostels, bedsits and flats. People who are recognised as homeless by their local authorities are housed in temporary accommodation until their needs have been properly assessed and suitable accommodation found
Rough Sleeping:
The practice of sleeping, or bedding down, in the open air or in buildings or other places not designed for habitation (such as barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats or stations)
(Adapted from 'Guidance on evaluating the extent of rough sleeping', DCLG, 2007 Revision)