Research and analysis

Rough Sleeping Data Framework, September 2024

Published 28 November 2024

Applies to England

1. Main findings 

In September 2024 there were 9,079 people estimated to be sleeping rough over the month - up 8% since September 2023 and up 9% compared to June 2024. Of these: 

• 33% were new people sleeping rough 

• 34% were people who had been sleeping rough long term 

• 14% were people returning to sleeping rough and of these, 30% of people had moved into settled accommodation in the previous year 

• 8% of people sleeping rough had recently left an institution and of these, 56% had recently left prison and 18% had recently left asylum support services. 

2.3 times more people sleep rough over the month compared to on a single night. There were 4,008 people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in September 2024, which is 3% higher than the 2023 annual snapshot figure. 

Rough sleeping is increasing across the majority of local authorities in England (53%).

Date of next publication: It is expected that the next quarterly publication of monthly data (up to December 2024) will be published in February 2025.

2. Introduction 

In May 2023, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government launched a new framework with a new set of metrics to better understand how far rough sleeping is prevented wherever possible, and where it does occur it is rare, brief, and non-recurring.  

This is the fourth quarterly publication of the framework and covers monthly information up to September 2024, for the first time including the final three core indicators: the number of people sleeping rough who were accommodated over the month (R2), the number of nights seen sleeping rough (B2) and the number of people returning to sleeping rough after moving into settled accommodation (NR2).  

This data framework will be relevant to people working locally to reduce rough sleeping and is an important step towards driving better outcomes for vulnerable people. 

There are eight core indicators of the framework, including three which were rolled out nationally in June 2024, which are included for the first time in this publication. 

The eight core indicators are: 

Prevented 

• The number of new people sleeping rough (on a single night and over the course of the month), known as P1. 

• The number of people sleeping rough over the month who have been discharged from institutions, known as P2. 

Rare 

• The number of people sleeping rough (on a single night and over the course of the month), known as R1. 

• The number of people sleeping rough over the course of the month who have moved into accommodation over the course of the month, known as R2. 

Brief 

• The number of people sleeping rough over the course of the month who have been sleeping rough long term, known as B1. 

• The number of nights on which people were seen sleeping rough, known as B2. 

Non-recurring 

• The number of people sleeping rough over the course of the month who are returning to sleeping rough, known as NR1. 

• The number of people sleeping rough over the course of the month who are returning to sleeping rough, who had previously moved into settled accommodation, known as NR2. 

The number of people sleeping rough tends to be higher in the summer months when it is warmer, and lower in the winter months, reflecting the seasonality of rough sleeping.

3. Preventing people sleeping rough 

There were 3,001 new people estimated to be sleeping rough over the month in September 2024 (33% of total people sleeping rough over the month) - up 11% since June 2024 but largely unchanged since September 2023. 

There were 1,119 new people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in September 2024 (28% of total people sleeping rough on a single night) - up 10% since June 2024 and up 24% on the same period last year. 

Figure 1: Estimated number of new people sleeping rough, October 2020 to September 2024 (P1)

Source: MHCLG

There were 770 people estimated to be sleeping rough over the month in September 2024 who had left an institution (8% of the total number of people sleeping rough over the month). Of these people who had left an institution: 

• 434 (56%) had left prison in the last 85 days - up 7% since June 2024. 

• 137 (18%) had left asylum support (previously ‘National Asylum Support Services’) in the last 85 days - down 31% since June 2024 and down 71% since its peak in December 2023. 

• 98 (13%) had left general and psychiatric hospitals in the last 85 days - up 3% since June 2024. 

• 77 (10%) were care leavers aged under 25 - up 13% since June 2024. 

• 22 (3%) had left other justice accommodation within the last 85 days - down 8% since June 2024. 

• 2 (0.3%) had left the UK armed forces within the last 85 days. 

Figure 2: Estimated number of people sleeping rough over the course of the month who have left an institution, September 2024 (P2)

Source: MHCLG

Figure 3: Estimated number of people sleeping rough over the course of the month who have left an institution, May 2023 to September 2024 (P2)

Source: MHCLG

4. Making rough sleeping rare 

There were 9,079 people estimated to be sleeping rough over the month of September 2024 – up 770 people or 9% since June 2024 and up 637 people or 8% since September 2023. 

This is 2.3 times higher than the number of people seen sleeping rough on a single night, illustrating that the flow of people onto and off the street over the course of a month is significantly higher than those seen on any given night due to the dynamic nature of rough sleeping. 

The rate of people sleeping rough over the month of September 2024 in England was 15.7 people per 100,000, compared to 14.4 people per 100,000 in the June 2024 and 14.6 people per 100,00 in the same period last year1. 

There were 4,008 people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in September 2024 - up 304 people or 8% since June 2024 and up 590 people or 17% since last year. 

The rate of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in September 2024 in England was 6.9 people per 100,000, compared to 6.4 people per 100,000 in the previous quarter (June 2024) and 5.9 people per 100,000 in the same period last year. 

Figure 4: Estimated number of people sleeping rough, October 2020 to September 2024 (R1)

Source: MHCLG

Figure 5: Map of rate of people sleeping rough on a single night per 100,000 people (R1), September 2024

Source: MHCLG

Figure 6: Map of rate of people sleeping rough over the month per 100,000 people (R1), September 2024

Source: MHCLG

There were 1,416 people estimated to be sleeping rough over the month who were accommodated over the course of the month (16% of the total number of people sleeping rough over the month). This was up 269 people, or 23% since June 2024. 

Figure 7: Estimated number of people sleeping rough who have moved into accommodation, June 2024 to September 2024 (R2)

Source: MHCLG 

5. Making rough sleeping brief 

There were 3,094 people estimated to be sleeping rough over the month in September 2024 who had been sleeping rough long term (34% of the total number of people sleeping rough over the month) - up 10% since June 2024 and up 16% since September 2023. 

There were 9,079 people estimated to be sleeping rough over the month in September 2024. Of these: 

• 2,831 people (31% of the total) had been seen sleeping rough for 1 night over the previous 6 months 

• 1,066 people (12% of the total) had been seen sleeping rough for 2 nights over the previous 6 months 

• 1,468 people (16% of the total) had been seen sleeping rough for 3 to 5 nights over the previous 6 months 

• 1,072 people (12% of the total) had been seen sleeping rough for 6 to 10 nights over the previous 6 months 

• 1,931 people (21% of the total) had been seen sleeping rough for more than 10 nights over the previous 6 months 

• 648 people (7% of the total) had been seen sleeping rough for an unknown number of nights over the previous 6 months 

Figure 8: Number of nights people estimated to have been seen sleeping rough over the last 6 months, September 2024 (B2)

6. Making rough sleeping a non-recurring experience 

There were 1,240 people estimated to be returning to sleeping rough over the month in September 2024 (14% of the total number of people sleeping rough over the month) - down 1% since June 2024 and up 18% since September 2023. 

• Of these, 377 (30% of all those returning to sleeping rough) were returning to sleeping rough after moving into settled accommodation in the preceding 12 months. This is down 35 people (or 8%) on June 2024. 

Figure 9: Estimated number of people returning to sleeping rough (NR1) including those returning to sleeping rough after moving into settled accommodation (NR2), May 2023 to September 2024

Source: MHCLG

Figure 10: Estimated number of people sleeping rough over the month who were sleeping rough long-term (B1), new to sleeping rough (P1), were returning to sleeping rough (NR1), had left institutions (P2) and those returning to sleeping rough after moving into settled accommodation in the previous 12 months (NR2), September 2024

Source: MHCLG

7. Definitions 

New people sleeping rough (P1) 

A person is considered ‘new’ if they have not been seen sleeping rough in the Local Authority in the 5 calendar years (60 months) preceding the date they were seen sleeping rough during the current reporting period. If a person was seen more than 5 years previously, they are to be counted as ‘New’. If there is no historical data available for the last 5 years, people seen sleeping rough for the first time should be counted as ‘New’ whilst a historical database is compiled. 

Prior to May 2023, the definition was less specific in terms of time period, and a person was considered new if they were not known to local authority outreach teams and other support services. 

People sleeping rough who have been discharged from an institution (P2) 

A person is counted as having left an institution recently if they report having been discharged from any of the below within the last 85 days (12 weeks + 1 day): 

• Prisons (adult and youth) 

• Other justice accommodation e.g. accommodation provided by the National Probation Service (i.e. Approved Premises) 

• General and psychiatric hospitals 

• Discharged from the UK Armed Forces 

• Asylum support (previously ‘National Asylum Support Services Accommodation’) 

The 85 day period is based on Community Accommodation Service Tier 3 (CAS3) which provides temporary accommodation for up to 84 nights for homeless prison leavers and those moving on from Approved Premises to help them move into settled accommodation. This is designed to improve partnership working between homelessness and rough sleeping services and institutions to ensure people recently leaving institutions have suitable accommodation pathways. People under 25 who are care leavers are also included but the 85 day timeframe does not apply.

People sleeping rough (R1) 

People sleeping rough are defined as: 

• People sleeping, about to bed down (sitting on/in or standing next to their bedding) or bedded down in the open air (such as on the street, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters or encampments). 

• People in buildings or other places not designed to for habitation (such as stairwells, barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations or “bashes” which are makeshift shelters often comprised of cardboard boxes). 

The definition does not include: 

• People in hostels or shelters 

• People in campsites or other sites used for recreational purposes or organised protest 

• Squatters 

• Travellers 

Bedded down is taken to mean either lying down or sleeping. 

About to bed down includes those who are sitting in/on or near a sleeping bag or other bedding. 

This is the same definition as is used for the annual rough sleeping snapshot statistics. 

The number of people sleeping rough on a single night is an estimated figure determined from outreach contacts, or from a ‘Point-in-Time’ snapshot. 

The number of people sleeping rough over the course of the month is an estimated figure based on outreach contacts.

Number of people sleeping rough who have moved into accommodation (R2) 

This is an estimate of the number of people seen sleeping rough over the month who have moved into accommodation over the course of the month, not including those accommodated under severe weather emergency protocols (SWEP).

People sleeping rough long term (B1) 

Long term rough sleeping is defined as the number of people seen recently (within the reporting month) who have been seen sleeping rough in 3 or more months out of the last 12 months (1 year).

Number of nights seen sleeping rough (B2) 

For each person seen sleeping rough over the month, the number of nights over the last 6 months (180 days) on which each person was seen sleeping rough is categorised as follows: 

• 1 night 

• 2 nights 

• 3-5 nights 

• 6-10 nights 

• More than 10 nights 

• An unknown number of nights

People returning to sleeping rough (NR1) 

A person is considered a ‘returner’ if they are seen sleeping rough again after no contact for 2 or more quarters (180 days), whichever is shorter, measured from the last date the person was seen.

Number of people sleeping rough who had previously moved into settled accommodation (NR2) 

For a person to be counted under this indicator, they should be returning to sleeping rough after no contact of 2 or more quarters (180 days) (as in NR1), they should have been seen in the previous 5 years (i.e., they don’t meet the criteria for P1), and they should have been moved into settled accommodation, defined as accommodation intended to last for an extended period of time and including the following categories: 

• Social rented sector (including council tenancy, registered providers) 

• Supported Accommodation (including Housing First, care homes, and other supported accommodation pathways) 

• Hostels (including reception centres, emergency units and refuges) with accommodation for longer than 6 months 

• Private rented sector (with an Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement) 

• Staying with family or friends 

• Owner-occupier 

• Returned to home country

8. Things you need to know 

• The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have been collecting monthly management information from all local authorities in England about the support for people sleeping rough and those at risk of sleeping rough, since May 2020, alongside the annual rough sleeping snapshot statistics. 

• On average, 94% of areas provide a response each month and for those areas that do not provide data, imputed figures based on previous management information has been used. 

• This monthly management information, provided by local authorities, includes a more frequent although less robust estimate of people sleeping rough on a single night, compared to the annual official rough sleeping snapshot statistics. The official statistics are collated by outreach workers, local charities and community groups and are independently verified by Homeless Link. 

• The management information also provides an estimate of the number of people sleeping rough over the course of the month in each local authority to better understand the flow of people sleeping rough. This figure is based on casework done by outreach teams and other service providers.

9. Technical notes 

9.1 Data tables and interactive dashboard 

Twenty-five accompanying tables are available alongside this release. These include information on the eight core framework indicators.

An interactive dashboard enables users to explore the new framework indicators in more detail.

9.2 Data quality and limitations 

This management information provides more timely and more detailed data on rough sleeping and the support for rough sleepers compared to the annual rough sleeping snapshot. 

The management information is collected via a regular survey to local authorities, which began in May 2020. Local authorities were asked to provide data underpinning the new framework indicators from May 2023, and the final 3 core indicators from June 2024, although some indicators have been collected for longer as they were already part of the rough sleeping management information collection. All local authorities are requested to complete the survey. 

Local authorities submit their management information via MHCLG’s DELTA online data collection system. The DELTA online data collection system includes inbuilt rules and validation checks to ensure the data provided is complete and accurate. 

As well as the inbuilt validations via DELTA, MHCLG analysts also carry out a series of quality assurance checks including checks for outliers and comparison of the information with other relevant data sources. 

The data is not independently verified. It has been provided by local authorities, each of which will have their own internal processes. 

The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) which is the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority completed a review of the very first Support for people sleeping rough publication against the Code of Practice for Statistics. This review considered the value, quality and trustworthiness of these statistics in relation to the Code. The review recommendations are being taken forward. 

Voluntary compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics 

The Code of Practice for Statistics was published in February 2018 to set standards for organisations in producing and publishing official statistics and ensure that statistics serve the public good. 

MHCLG’s Rough Sleeping Data Framework release does not include official or official accredited statistics, as it is designated as management information, but the framework is used to monitor rough sleeping trends in England. This compliance statement outlines how we are voluntarily applying the Code of Practice for Statistics to ensure that the analytical outputs are trustworthy, of high quality and have public value.

Trustworthiness 

Trusted people, processes and analysis 

Pillar	How this framework aligns with this pillar
T1 Honesty and integrity	Data is analysed by professionally qualified and experienced data analysts - professional members of the GSS, GORS or GSR professions. Data is provided by local authorities and scrutinised by government rough sleeping advisers to monitor local approaches to rough sleeping.
T2 Independent decision making and leadership	The work is governed by the Analysis and Data Directorate in MHCLG, accountable to MHCLG’s Chief Analyst and the Head of Profession for Statistics.
T3 Orderly release	MHCLG pre-announces the publication date for this data. This is usually done on the release page of previous publications, which is updated once precise release dates are known.
T4 Transparent processes and management	MHCLG has robust, transparent data-management processes which are applied for data analysis. Data is provided by local authorities. MHCLG works closely to ensure data collection processes are well understood. External research was commissioned to understand data collection and quality assurance processes across different local authorities, demonstrating MHCLG’s willingness to maintain transparency. An outline of the production process and quality assurance carried out prior to the publication of the Rough Sleeping Data Framework is available in the latest release.
T5 Professional capability	All responsible MHCLG analysts are members of government analytical professions, where all staff have met a minimum standard of analytical capability and all of whom have Personal Development Plans focused on their long term professional development.
T6 Data governance	Data is collected at an aggregate level and is not personally identifiable. Responsibility for data lies with the data controllers (i.e. local authorities). MHCLG has assessed the risk of identification from data as very low and therefore does not apply suppression to small numbers. MHCLG is consulting local authorities about the use of their data to ensure agreement and transparency.	).

High Quality 

Robust data, methods and processes 

Pillar	How this framework aligns with this pillar
Q1 Suitable data sources	Data is collected by local authorities, primarily through outreach activities. Data relies on self-disclosure or referrals from relevant agencies (e.g. the other government departments, Adult Social Care, or local refugee charities). In London, data is provided directly from CHAIN, which is a multiagency database recording information about people seen rough sleeping by outreach teams. One aim of the framework is to encourage local authorities to link up with key partners to share data to better understand their rough sleeping populations. The commissioned research mentioned in “T4 Transparent processes and management” highlights how best to improve consistency in data and will feed into further guidance on improving data.
Q2 Sound methods	Data collection tools and processes are robustly designed and tested prior to use, learning lessons from previous Rough Sleeping Management Information data collections and best practice from across the government analytical community. An outline of the data process is available in the latest release.
Q3 Assured quality	An outline of the production process and quality assurance carried out prior to the publication of the Rough Sleeping Data Framework is available in the latest release. MHCLG is developing further data verification processes with local authorities to raise data standards and ensure consistency. Reproducible Analytical Pipelines are used to minimise human error and all outputs are quality assured prior to publication. A revisions policy is in place to ensure that any revisions are addressed quickly and systematically.

Public value 

Supporting society’s need for information and accessible to all 

Pillar	How this framework aligns with this pillar
V1 Relevance to users	MHCLG developed the framework over 18 months in conjunction with the Centre for Homelessness Impact and 50 pilot local authorities. MHCLG also holds quarterly rough sleeping data forums with local areas to consult on any changes regards the monthly management information and keep areas up to date about new data requirements or improvements related to rough sleeping. MHCLG is also part of the cross-government housing and homelessness group, which enables analysts across the devolved nations working on homelessness to collaborate and learn from each other. The framework enables local government, national government and partners to know what is required to drive progress to reduce rough sleeping across England, so local areas can identify where specific action is needed to drive improved performance. This is an important step towards having a consistent data set across England that captures the complexity of rough sleeping. The management information provides more timely and more detailed data on rough sleeping and the support for rough sleepers compared to the annual rough sleeping snapshot statistics, which is MHCLG’s official and most robust measure of rough sleeping on a single night. Users are encouraged to provide feedback on how these statistics are used and how well they meet user needs. An additional set of indicators is currently being tested with pilot areas to assess the usefulness before being adopted more widely.
V2 Accessibility	These data are released as soon as possible after collection. The data is used for operational purposes before publication, by rough sleeping advisers, policy officials, ministers and local authorities to monitor progress and develop timely interventions. This enables immediate action to be taken. To assist with public accessibility, the release is published as HTML, and aligns with Gov.UK accessibility principles.
V3 Clarity and insight	Complex data are clearly explained in each data release and accompanying technical notes. Explanations and definitions were built in collaboration with the Centre for Homelessness Impact and pilot areas. The HTML release which goes out alongside the data tables provides insight and commentary, and interactive dashboards are provided to offer more flexibility for those who are less data literate.
V4 Innovation and improvement	The data framework is a simple set of powerful indicators. The framework is a key step towards having a consistent data set across England that captures the complexity of rough sleeping, with future improvements including the development of additional indicators and further data verification processes.
V5 Efficiency and proportionality	There are regular reviews of data collection with local authorities to ensure that the burden of collection is outweighed by its operational usefulness.

To assess the quality of new management information, we compared the monthly rough sleeping management information estimates with the 2023 Rough sleeping snapshot data. These two different sources were correlated which provides confidence that local authorities are consistent when estimating the number of people sleeping rough on a single night. For the monthly rough sleeping snapshot estimate, local authorities are advised to use a snapshot approach which will provide the most robust figure. This should be 1 of the 3 approaches that are used for the official rough sleeping snapshot, which may include a count-based estimate, an evidence-based estimate meeting or an evidence-based estimate meeting including a spotlight count. If no snapshot has been conducted within the month, local authorities should gather their intelligence, data sources and records to establish what a single night figure would be and submit this as their estimate. MHCLG recently commissioned Homeless Link to undertake research to investigate how local areas in England have implemented the new rough sleeping data framework and to appraise data collection methods and validation processes being used to provide this information.

Research by Homeless Link shows there is some disparity in data management and technical capacity between different local authorities and there is some variation in the interpretations of the definitions for the new indicators which is as expected given the infancy of this new framework. The information that underpins the new indicators is largely gathered by outreach workers as part of their regular outreach activity. Information may also be gathered from referrals from partner agencies to help identify people that may not engage with services. This means the quality of the information is linked to the coverage and frequency of outreach activity as well as the local data systems in place to accurately track and record this information. 

The information about institution discharge is gathered via self-disclosure by people sleeping rough and/or information sharing from institutions, so the quality is also linked to the reliability of self-disclosure and data sharing from partners. Identification of people sleeping rough who are new, returning or long term relies on the local systems in place to identify unique individuals, avoid double counting and accurately track individuals over time using historical records, which will take time to develop. 

There are some comparability issues between local authorities in London and the rest of England, as the definition of new, returner and long term rough sleeping applies to the whole of London, compared to each local authority across the rest of England. There is also some overlap between the new and returner indicators if a person returns to sleeping rough after not being seen for more than five years. 

There are also some challenges around the consistency and comparability of the approach being used for the single night snapshot month on month and between areas, as there is more local discretion for the monthly snapshot compared to annual snapshot around the approach used, the date for the single night snapshot, the coverage etc. The single night snapshot can also be impacted by the weather, where people choose to sleep, the date and time chosen, and the availability of alternatives such as available night shelters. 

The indicator on “number of nights seen” (B2) is particularly reflective of outreach activity, making this indicator less comparable nationally than other indicators. A 6-month period was chosen to mitigate for this, but outreach frequency varies greatly across the country, with some areas conducted outreach once a month, and other areas conducted outreach multiple times a day. 

The information about people sleeping rough over the course of the month, includes known people and people identified by outreach activity, so may not include all hidden homeless groups. 

This research will be used to develop further guidance for local areas to improve the quality and comparability of the data underpinning the new indicators.

Figure 11: Quality Assurance Process flowchart

An outline of the production process and quality assurance carried out prior to the publication of the Rough Sleeping Data Framework.

Accessible version of flowchart 

Start: MHCLG provide guidance to LAs on questions to be included in monthly rough sleeping management survey (end of each month). 

1. Rough sleeping monthly management information survey is issued to all LAs in England and GLA via DELTA online data collection system (end of each month). 

2. Information on rough sleeping over the course of the month is prepopulated via information from CHAIN, for all London boroughs (1st week of month). 

3. LA submits data to MHCLG using DELTA online data collection system (2nd week of each month). 

4. Inbuilt validation rules and checks ensure the data provided is complete and accurate before submission. 

5. MHCLG conducts further validation, sense checks and quality assurance prior to publication Discuss discrepancies with rough sleeping advisers and LAs if needed prior to publication. 

End: MHCLG publishes management information (approximately 12 weeks after collection). 

We have taken a pragmatic approach to our statistical disclosure control policy which balances the need to protect individuals being identified alongside the aim to make the data as useful as possible.  

There is a low risk of people being identified from data given the time that has passed since, the size of the local area and no discernible means of being able to link a person being seen on the streets today and a person recorded in the figures.

9.3 Related statistics 

Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN)

The Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) is a multi-agency database recording information about people seen rough sleeping by outreach teams in London. CHAIN is managed by Homeless Link, a London-based homeless charity and is used by organisations working with people sleeping rough in London. Information is recorded onto the CHAIN database by people who work directly with people sleeping rough in London (e.g. workers in outreach teams, day centres, hostels and resettlement teams). CHAIN does not cover ‘hidden homeless’ groups, such as those who are squatting or staying in inaccessible locations to outreach workers. 

Hostels and support services 

Homeless Link publishes an Annual review of single homelessness support, which includes information about the number of hostels and shelters in England and available bed spaces, as well as the support and services available to single people who become homeless in England. 

MHCLG related statistics

The rough sleeping statistics do not provide a definitive number of people or households affected by homelessness in England. The term ‘homelessness’ is much broader than people sleeping rough. It is difficult to provide an accurate estimate of all homelessness across England. Data used to compile any estimate is collated from different datasets, which sample different subsets of the population over different time frames. Any estimate of homelessness in England will collate datasets that are not discrete from one another, which means some individuals may have been included more than once in the estimated total. 

Support for people sleeping rough 

MHCLG has been collecting and publishing management information about the support for rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping, since May 2020, initially as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This management information provided more timely information about people sleeping rough but uses a similar collection approach to annual rough sleeping statistics, albeit without the greater verification of the annual statistics. 

This quarterly publication provided a fuller picture of the dynamic and seasonal nature of rough sleeping, and illustrated the work done by local authorities to provide a pathway off the streets and into long term accommodation. 

Following the roll out of the new data framework to all local authorities in England, in May 2023, this quarterly publication will now focus on the metrics in that framework. 

Annual rough sleeping snapshot

The MHCLG’s official annual rough sleeping snapshot statistics, provide a way of estimating the number of people sleeping rough across England on a single night in autumn and assess change over time. This is the most robust measure of rough sleeping given they are independently verified and are published in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics. These statistics provide information about the estimated number of people sleeping rough on a single night between 1 October and 30 November each year and some basic demographic details (i.e. age, gender, nationality). 

Rough sleeping questionnaire

In December 2020, MHCLG published the initial report on the rough sleeping questionnaire (RSQ), which represents one of the largest survey data collections on people who sleep rough ever attempted in the UK. The report provides insights into the experiences of people who have slept rough, including their support needs and vulnerabilities, experiences of homelessness and use of public services, as well as an estimate of the fiscal cost associated with someone who sleeps rough. 

Statutory homelessness

MHCLG also collect and publish quarterly statistics on the broad characteristics and circumstances of households owed a statutory homelessness duty. This includes households who approach the council for help with housing who are sleeping rough. The statutory homelessness statistics includes some but not all of the people provided with accommodation in response to COVID-19 through the ‘Everyone In’ support. Not all individuals assisted through ‘Everyone In’ would have been owed a homelessness duty. Any individual not owed a homelessness duty would not be part of the local authority case level data submission to MHCLG and therefore would not be included in the Statutory Homelessness statistics. People sleeping rough will only be recorded in these statistics if they have made an application that has been accepted by the local authority. There are 3 main groups that are not included in the statutory homelessness statistics that would be included in the management information. These include: 

People not eligible for statutory homelessness assistance because they are ‘persons from abroad’ specifically excluded by the legislation. 

People sleeping rough who did not engage with the assessment process required to take a homelessness application, or who were not owed a relief duty by the local authority. 

People who were provided accommodation via upper tier local authorities, such as Greater London Authority (GLA) who do not have statutory homelessness duties, and do not provide data via the Homelessness Case Level Information Collection (HCLIC) data system. 

These statistics include information about the accommodation at the time of application, including if a person was sleeping rough, and include information about support needs, including offending history, care leavers, former asylum seekers and whether applicants had served in the HM forces. 

Hidden homelessness

MHCLG produce other statistical releases that can help build up the wider homelessness picture. For example, the English Housing Survey publishes data on the number of people sofa surfing and concealed households in, which are additional adults in a household who wanted to rent or buy but could not afford to do so. In addition, the CORE social housing lettings collection publishes data on those moving from homelessness into local authority/ private registered providers accommodation. 

Expenditure on homelessness

MHCLG publish statistics on local authority revenue expenditure and financing in England. The RO4 return within the Revenue Outturn suite relates to housing services and includes information on local authorities’ expenditure on homelessness activities.

9.4 Revisions policy 

Non-scheduled revisions 

Where a substantial error has occurred as a result of the compilation, imputation or dissemination process the statistical release, live tables and other accompanying releases will be updated with a correction notice as soon as is practical. 

If a local authority notifies MHCLG of an error in the information they have submitted after publication of the release, a decision on whether to revise will be made based upon the impact of any change and the effect it has on the interpretation of the data. 

Scheduled revisions 

There are no scheduled revisions for this release. 

9.5 User engagement 

MHCLG, has developed the new framework over the last two years in conjunction with the Centre for Homelessness Impact and five early adopter pilot areas (London, Greater Manchester, Newcastle, West Midlands and Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole). 

MHCLG also holds quarterly rough sleeping data forums with local areas to consult on any changes regarding the monthly management information and keep areas up to date about new data requirements or improvements related to rough sleeping. 

MHCLG is also part of the cross-government housing and homelessness group, which enables analysts across the devolved nations working on homelessness to collaborate and learn from each other. The Government Analysis Function provides the latest homelessness statistics work programme summarising the MHCLG initiatives, as well as those happening in the rest of the UK. 

Users are encouraged to provide feedback on how these statistics are used and how well they meet user needs. 

Comments on any issues relating to this release are welcomed and encouraged. Please contact roughsleepingstatistics@communities.gov.uk if you have any feedback or comments. 

See the Ministry’s engagement strategy to meet the needs of statistics users.

9.6 Devolved administration statistics 

The devolved administrations publish their own statistics on homelessness which contain information on rough sleeping: 

• The Scottish Government publishes figures on the number of households applying to the local authority for assistance under homelessness legislation who say they have slept rough the previous night or have reported their housing situation as ‘long term roofless’. 

• The Welsh Government publishes management information on persons placed into temporary accommodation and rough sleepers. 

• The governing legislation for homelessness in Northern Ireland is the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1988 (as amended). Unlike the other three UK nations, housing is allocated by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE), which covers the whole of Northern Ireland, rather than by local authorities. In Northern Ireland, statistics on homelessness are obtained from the NIHE. They carry out an annual street count in Belfast in partnership with other local agencies and homeless organisations. 

Comparing between UK countries 

The figures are not directly comparable between parts of the UK as they have a different methodology, coverage and are carried out at different time periods. ONS published a report and an interactive tool on the comparability and coherence of existing UK Government data sources on homelessness. ONS have also published a report on rough sleeping in the UK. 

9.7 Dates of future publication 

The publication dates for future rough sleeping management information is as follows: 

• Rough Sleeping Data Framework, December 2024, due to be published February/March 2025 

• Rough Sleeping Data Framework, March 2025, due to be published May/June 2025 

• Rough Sleeping Data Framework, June 2025, due to be published September/October 2025

10. Enquiries 

Media

Telephone: 0303 444 1209 

Email: newsdesk@communities.gov.uk 

Statistical enquiries 

Telephone: 0303 444 2623 

Email: roughsleepingstatistics@communities.gov.uk 

Responsible analysts 

Jon White, Grace Harrington, Saarah Nakhuda 

Information on Official Statistics is available via the UK Statistics Authority website. 

Information about statistics at MHCLG is available via the department’s website.