New figures from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) released today show a rise in the number of people “living on the streets” of London between July and September 2026. The overall number of people recorded sleeping rough in London between July and September 2026 has decreased by 1% since the same period last year.
The figures show:
819 people were deemed to be “living on the streets”, having had a high number of contacts with outreach teams over three weeks or more. This is up 8% on the same period last year and up 20% on the previous quarter.
It is up 93% on five years ago, where Covid ‘Everyone In’ measures saw rough sleeping numbers fall drastically in London, and more than double (a 152% rise) on the same period ten years ago.
Overall, 4,678 people were recorded sleeping rough in London between July and September 2026.
This is a decrease of 1% on the previous year but up 60% on the same period five years ago, when Everyone In measures were in place.
Of those who had previously slept rough and moved into accommodation between July- September 2026, the vast majority (78%) were moved into hubs, shelters and other forms of temporary accommodation, rather than settled housing (just 22%).
845 women were seen sleeping rough. Women are undercounted in rough sleeping statistics as they are often hidden from public view due to safety reasons.
Responding to the new figures released today, Crisis Chief Executive Matt Downie said:
“No one should be forced to sleep on the streets, exposed to extreme weather, violence or abuse.
“The rise in the number of people living on the streets in our capital underlines the urgent need for action. We saw a clear priority towards ending rough sleeping in this week’s Autumn Budget, where the Prime Minister made clear this is a moral mission for his government, backed by long-term funding to help people off the streets in England and extending support beyond Christmas. We also welcome the increased investment in social housing, as homelessness cannot be solved without secure, affordable homes for people to move into.
“However, behind these numbers are people living the trauma of homelessness. It’s clear that urgent action must continue to ensure everyone has a safe place to call home. As cost-of-living pressures continue to push more people towards homelessness and into need of support from charities like Crisis, we must prioritise providing safe, settled homes and the support people need to keep them, in line with the proven Housing First approach. Crisis stands ready to work with the Mayor and Greater London to support efforts to expand Housing First locally, to end rough sleeping for people with the most complex support needs.
“It is also vital that we prevent homelessness in the first place by Westminster Government restoring housing benefit, so it reflects the real cost of private rents, preventing people from losing the roof over their heads. By taking these steps, we can finally consign rough sleeping to the history books.”
