Official Statistics

Statutory homelessness in England: January to March 2023

Published 25 July 2023

Applies to England

This is the quarterly statistics release for statutory homelessness assessments and activities in England between 1 January and 31 March 2023. It also reports on stock households in temporary accommodation under the statutory homelessness duty in England on 31 March 2023.

Alongside this statistics release, the department also publishes an accompanying technical note, detailed local-authority level data tables, a data dashboard that provides spatial and time-series representation of the data in the data-tables, a performance dashboard that provides a high-level summary of homeless figures by local authority and an info-graphic summarising the key headlines from this release. These publications are available on the statutory homelessness in England webpage.

1. In this release:

Between January to March 2023:

• 83,240 households were initially assessed, up 5.7% from January to March 2022.

• 37,890 households were assessed as being threatened with homelessness, and therefore owed a prevention duty which is down 0.7% from the same quarter last year. This includes 6,440 households threatened with homelessness due to service of a Section 21 notice to end an Assured Shorthold Tenancy – a decrease of 1.5% from the same quarter last year.

• 41,950 households were initially assessed as homeless and therefore owed a relief duty, up 10.7% from the same quarter last year. Households with children owed a relief duty increased 12.1% from the same quarter last year to 11,250 households in January to March 2023.

• 13,670 households were accepted as owed a main homelessness duty, up 20.1% from January to March 2022. This reflects the increase in households with children owed a relief duty this quarter (12.1%) and last quarter (19.6%) compared to the previous year.

• On 31 March 2023, 104,510 households were in temporary accommodation, which is an increase of 10.0% from 31 March 2022. Households with children increased by 10.3% to 64,940, and single households increased by 9.6% to 39,570. Compared to the previous quarter, the number of households in temporary accommodation had increased by 4.0%.

We would welcome any feedback to help shape future publications by completing this user engagement survey.

Release date: 25 July 2023

Date of next release: Autumn 2023

Contact: 0303 444 8433 / homelessnessstatistics@levellingup.gov.uk (Responsible Statistician: Madeha Asim)

Media enquiries: 0303 444 1209 / NewsDesk@levellingup.gov.uk

Prevention duty: Local authorities may deliver their prevention duty through any activities aimed at preventing a household threatened with homelessness within 56 days from becoming homeless. This would involve activities to enable an applicant to remain in their current home or find alternative accommodation in order to prevent them from becoming homeless. The duty lasts for up to 56 days but may be extended if the local authority is continuing with efforts to prevent homelessness.

Relief duty: The relief duty is owed to households that are already homeless on approaching a local authority, and so require help to secure settled accommodation. The duty lasts 56 days and can only be extended by a local authority if the household is not owed the main homelessness duty.

Section 21 notice: A Section 21 notice is the form a landlord must give a tenant to start the process to end an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. This is recorded alongside initial assessments.

Chart 1: Number of households owed a prevention or relief duty since Q2 2019

Chart 1 shows the time series for the number of households owed a prevention or relief duty since Q2 2019.

2. Household composition

2.1 Tables A5P and A5R

Single households: A term used for households without children, which will include couples and households with two or more adults.

Single adult households: Single adult households are a subset of single households, where the household comprises just one individual adult.

In January to March 2023, 52,090 single households were owed a prevention or relief duty, up 4.7% from January to March 2022. The number of households with children owed a prevention or relief duty also increased 5.8% from January to March 2022 to 27,750.

Single households were more likely to have homeless applications taken when already homeless and so are owed a relief duty (59.0%), whereas households with children are more likely to have an application taken when threatened with homelessness (59.5%).

3. Reasons for homelessness

3.1 Tables A2P and A2R

End of private rented Assured Shorthold Tenancy was the most common reason for households being owed a prevention duty, accounting for 14,530 or 38.3% of households. This is an increase of 2.5% from the same quarter last year. The most common recorded reasons households were owed a prevention duty due to the end of an AST were related to: Landlord wishing to sell or re-let the property (9,180 households), other/not known (2,320), followed by rent arrears due to change in personal circumstances (800).

A breakdown of households owed a prevention duty due to the end of an AST shows the biggest increase was due to rent arrears from increase in rent, which increased by 123.1% from the same quarter last year. Despite the large relative increase, end of AST from rent arrears due to an increase in rent, still only represent a relatively small number of households (290 households).

The second most common reason for those owed a prevention duty was family or friends no longer willing or able to accommodate, accounting for 9,550 or 25.2% of households owed a prevention duty, up 10.9% from the same quarter last year. Other notable change(s) for households owed a prevention duty include an increase of 66.7% in requirement to leave accommodation provided by the Home Office as asylum support to 600 households, a decrease of 30.6% in end of social rented tenancy to 2,270 households and an increase of 16.6% in end of non-assured shorthold private rented tenancy to 1,830 households.

For those owed a relief duty, family or friends no longer willing or able to accommodate was the most common reason for homelessness, accounting for 13,610 or 32.4% of households owed a relief duty, up 16.4% from the same quarter last year. The second most common reason for those owed a relief duty was domestic abuse, accounting for 6,930 or 16.5% of households owed a relief duty. This had increased 9.7% from the same quarter last year. Other notable changes from the same quarter last year for households owed a relief duty was an increase of 68.3% in requirement to leave accommodation provided by the Home Office as asylum support to 1,060 households, an increase of 29.8% in end of non-assured shorthold private rented tenancy to 1,570 households and an increase of 24.2% in eviction from supported housing to 2,770 households.

4. Current accommodation

4.1 Tables A4P and A4R

Rough sleeping: People sleeping in the open air (such as on the streets, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters or encampments) or other places not designed for habitation (such as stairwells, barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations, or ‘bashes’ which are makeshift shelters, often comprised of cardboard boxes). Rough sleepers in this publication may have slept rough one night or across several nights.

Rough sleeping at the time of Local Authority Approach: Rough sleepers are defined as those who were, in the judgement of the assessor, rough sleeping when they approached a local authority for help.

History of Rough Sleeping: This is a support need based on a history of sleeping rough and does not mean that the household was sleeping rough at the time of approach to the local authority.

The most common type of accommodation at the time of application for those owed a prevention duty was in the private rented sector (46.1%), up 1.1% from January to March 2022 to 17,470 households. This is consistent with the reasons for threat of homelessness for those owed prevention duties (described above). For those owed a relief duty, those in the private rented sector at the time of application accounted for 15.1% of households, up 14.4% from the same period last year to 6,340 households.

The most common type of accommodation for households owed a relief duty was living with family (25.3%), which increased by 20.5% from January to March 2022 to 10,600 households. For those owed a prevention duty, households living with family at the time of application had increased 3.1% to 9,090 households.

The number of households owed a relief duty who were rough sleeping on approach increased by 18.2% from January to March 2022 to 3,770 households, while those reporting no fixed abode fell 7.1% to 5,520 households.

It is worth noting that the percentage reported as ‘Other/not known’ accommodation at the time of application has reduced by 33.6% for prevention duties and reduced by 51.1% for relief duties. This suggests some of the increases in reported categories may be due to improved reporting.

5. Duty to refer

5.1 Table A7

Duty to Refer: Since 1 October 2018, duty to refer has required specified public bodies to refer, with consent, users of their service who they think may be homeless or threatened with homelessness to a local housing authority of the individual’s choice.

7.8% or 6,530 of the 83,240 assessments made were as a result of referrals from public bodies under the duty to refer. Of the assessments carried out from a duty to refer referral, 95.2% resulted in a homelessness duty. The highest number of referrals are made by the Criminal Justice System organisations (including Adult Secure Estate, Youth Secure Estate, National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Companies) with 44.9% of referrals coming from these agencies.

Of note there was an increase of 32.7% in assessments due to referrals from adult social services, since January to March 2022, to 730 households.

6. Other demographics

6.1 Tables A3, A6, A8, and A10

Support needs: areas of additional needs that mean the household requires support to acquire and sustain accommodation, giving an indication of the additional services local authorities need to provide to prevent an individual becoming homeless or to stop the cycle of repeat homelessness. Local authorities report as many support needs that apply to each household.

Of all households owed either a prevention or relief duty, 42,730 or 53.5% of households identified as having one or more support needs. The most common support need was for those with history of mental health problems, accounting for 21,540 or 27.0% of households owed a homelessness duty. The second most common was for those with physical ill health and disability accounting for 14,710 or 18.4% of households owed a duty. Other notable groups include those at risk of or with experience of domestic abuse (12.0%), those with offending history (8.8%) and those with a history of repeat homelessness (7.3%).

The overall increase in the number of households owed a prevention or relief duty in January to March 2023 compared to the previous year was driven by increases in lead applicants aged 35 and over. The largest increases were for the age groups 75+ up 10.8% to 920, 65-74 up 10.6% to 2,390 and 55-64 up 10.3% to 6,400. On the other hand, those aged 16-17 fell by 11.1%.

The majority of households owed a prevention or relief duty were where the lead applicant was White (68.0%), followed by households where the lead applicant was Black (10.0%) or Asian (6.0%).

The largest increases were for groups where the main applicant was recorded as: from the Other ethnic group^{[footnote 1]} category (up 24.0%); Asian (up 10.4%); and Black (up 6.8%).

The employment status that saw the largest increases in lead applicants of homelessness duty were those who were not registered but seeking work up 25.7% to 2,840, retired up 12.4% to 2,350, not working due to long-term illness/disability up 6.1% to 11,000, registered unemployed up 5.5% to 27,360, in full-time work up 3.1% to 11,140 and in part-time work up 2.8% to 8,360. Whilst those who were not seeking work / at home fell 2.2% to 5,420. Note that these do not include ‘Other’ or ‘Not known’ employment status classifications, which increased by 7.9% to 6,530 and fell by 1.4% to 3,640 respectively.

7. Outcomes

7.1 Tables P1 and R1

In January to March 2023, a prevention duty ended for 33,030 households, down 1.7% from the same quarter last year; and 45,580 households also saw their relief duty end, which is up 10.8% from the same quarter last year.

Over half of the prevention duties which ended between January to March 2023 (17,150 or 51.9%) ended because the household secured accommodation for 6 months or more and their homelessness had been prevented, down 4.3 percentage points from last year. Of these households who secured accommodation at the end of their prevention duty, 6,010 or 35.0%, were able to remain in their existing home, down 2.8 percentage points from this time last year. This outcome was followed by 8,280 or 25.1% of households whose prevention duty ended and were homeless at the end of the prevention duty and were subsequently owed relief duty, up 4.1 percentage points from the same quarter last year.

Of the 45,580 relief duties ended this quarter, 16,070 or 35.3% of households had accommodation secured for at least 6 months, down 2.7 percentage points from the same quarter last year. Of these, 73.7% (11,840) were single households, down 2.7 percentage points from the same quarter last year. This outcome was followed by 20,220, or 44.4% of households whose relief duty ended because their homelessness had not been relieved within 56 days, meaning their local authority would need to assess whether a main duty would be owed, this is up 3.3 percentage points from the same quarter last year.

8. Main homelessness duty

8.1 Tables MD1, MD2 and MD3

Main Duty: The ‘main’ homelessness duty describes the duty a local authority has towards an applicant who is unintentionally homeless, eligible for assistance and has priority need. These households are only owed a main duty if they did not secure accommodation in the prevention or relief stage, and so is not owed to those ‘threatened with homelessness’. In addition a minimum of 56 days of assistance must have elapsed from a household approaching the local authority to being owed a main duty.

Main duty acceptances increased 20.1% from the same quarter last year to 13,670 in January to March 2023. Households with children owed a main duty increased by 21.7% from the same quarter last year to 8,230 households. This reflects the increase in households with children owed a relief duty this quarter (12.1%) and last quarter (19.6%) compared to the previous year.

The number of households owed a main duty who were homeless and have priority need due to domestic abuse had increased 30.7% to 980 from January to March 2022, reflecting an increase in homelessness due to domestic abuse over the last year

There was also a 33.3% increase in the number of households who were homeless and have priority need due to old age since January-March 2022. This reflects similar increases in prevention and relief duties owed to households with an older age main applicant.

Households that were homeless, had priority need and were intentionally homeless; or that were homeless and did not have a priority need rose 25.7% to 930 and rose 37.9% to 5,130 respectively. However, both of these changes seem to reflect the general increase in total main duty decisions during this period, rather than a large change in the proportion of total main duty decisions which were intentionally homeless or did not have a priority need.

Chart 2: Number of households by outcome of main duty assessment

Chart 2 shows the number of households by outcome of main duty assessment for Q1 2022 and Q1 2023.

In January to March 2023, 10,190 households had their main homelessness duty come to an end, up 23.8% from January to March 2022. Of these households, 8,090 or 79.4% households accepted an offer of settled accommodation, up 23.1% from the same quarter last year.

9. Temporary accommodation

9.1 Table TA1

Temporary Accommodation: Temporary Accommodation is the term used to describe accommodation secured by a local housing authority under their statutory homelessness functions. The majority of households in temporary accommodation have been placed under the main homelessness duty, but temporary accommodation is also provided during the relief stage to households who the local authority has reason to believe may have priority need, or on an interim basis in other circumstances such as pending the outcome of a review on a homelessness decision.

104,510 households were in temporary accommodation on 31 March 2023, up 4.0% from the previous quarter and up 10.0% from the same time last year. The number of single households in temporary accommodation rose 2.7% from the previous quarter and rose 9.6% from the same time last year to 39,570. Households with children increased 4.8% from the previous quarter and increased 10.3% from 31 March 2022 to 64,940.

On 31 March 2023, there were 16.5 households living in temporary accommodation per 1,000 households in London, compared with 2.2 households per 1,000 in the Rest of England. Redbridge had the highest rate of temporary accommodation in London with 26.7 households per 1,000 households. However, it should be noted that when previously published Newham had the highest rate at 49.1 households per 1,000, but due to quality reasons Newham’s data has not been published this quarter.

Luton had the highest rate outside London with 13.52 households per 1,000 households. 29,940 or 28.6% of households in temporary accommodation were in accommodation in a different local authority district. 80.6% of these out of district placements were from London authorities.

Chart 3: Number of households in temporary accommodation since Q2 2019 by household type

Chart 3 shows the time series for the number of households in temporary accommodation since Q2 2019 by household type.

Of the households in temporary accommodation, 13,780 were living in bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation, up 37.4% from the same time last year. Of these households in B&B, 9,850 (71.5%) were single households, up 18.2% from the same time last year. The number of households in B&B with dependent children increased 131.2% to 3,930 households in 31 March 2023. Of the households with children in B&B, 1,840 had been resident for more than the statutory limit of 6 weeks. This is up 174.6% from 670 on 31 March 2022, and up 14.3% from 1,610 in the previous quarter. Overall, 64,940 households or 62.1% of households in temporary accommodation included dependent children, with 131,370 dependent children living in temporary accommodation.

Chart 4: Number of households in temporary accommodation by temporary accommodation and household type

Chart 4 shows the number of households in temporary accommodation by temporary accommodation and household type.

10. Assessment of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics

Between October and December 2021, these Statutory Homelessness statistics underwent an assessment by the Office for Statistics Regulation. A report detailing the findings of this assessment was published in December 2021.

The Homelessness Statistics Team in DLUHC have developed an action plan detailing how and when the requirements identified in the assessment report will be met. This includes a forward work plan which outlines scheduled work over the next year. This will be updated on an ongoing basis and can be found in the Action plan for OSR assessment of compliance.

11. Notes on usage

• Statutory homelessness concerns duties placed on local authorities to take reasonable steps to prevent and relieve homelessness to eligible households.

• Each case included in this report is representative of a household, which includes households with children as well as single adult households.

• This report only covers those owed a duty between 1 January and 31 March 2023.

• All figures except for temporary accommodation are a cumulative count over the period of the reported quarter, temporary accommodation is a snapshot of the last day of the quarter.

• Data is collected via the Homelessness Case Level Information Collection, submitted quarterly by local authorities. This method of collection was introduced in 2018 alongside significant homelessness legislation; before this statutory homelessness was recorded in the P1E.

• Definitions and a comprehensive breakdown of the quality assurance process can be found in the technical notes for further details on the data used for this release. Further information about official statistics is also available on the UK Statistics Authority and Statistics at DLUHC website.

12. Uses and limitations

These statistics can be used:

• To count the number of homelessness duties accepted by local authorities for this quarter and to compare local authorities and regions in England

• To assess changes in the number of homelessness duties since 2018

• To understand the causes, circumstances, and characteristics of households owed a duty

for this quarter

• To understand the number of households and the characteristics of Temporary Accommodation

These statistics are not suitable:

• To estimate the total number of people sleeping rough

• To estimate the total number of people sofa surfing, those in recreational or organised protest, those in squats, or traveller campsites

• To estimate the households that have yet to make a homelessness application and those who aren’t eligible

• To compare with other countries in the UK

• To compare to figures recorded via the P1E

13. Accompanying tables

The live tables are available to download alongside this release. References to previously published tables are included where comparisons are possible.

Initial assessments of statutory homelessness duties owed

• A1: Number of households assessed and owed a prevention or relief duty

• A2P: Reason for loss of last settled home for households assessed as owed a prevention duty

• A2R: Reason for loss of last settled home for households assessed as owed a relief duty

• A3: Support needs of households assessed as owed a prevention or relief duty

• A4P: Accommodation at time of application for households assessed as owed a prevention duty

• A4R: Accommodation at time of application for households assessed as owed a relief duty

• A5P: Household type at time of application for households assessed as owed a prevention duty

• A5R: Household type at time of application for households assessed as owed a relief duty

• A6: Age of main applicants assessed as owed a prevention or relief duty

• A7: Households referred to a local authority prior to being assessed

• A8: Ethnicity of main applicants assessed as owed a prevention of relief duty

• A9: Nationality of main applicants assessed as owed a prevention or relief duty *

• A10: Employment status of main applicants assessed as owed a prevention or relief duty

• A11: Reason for eligibility of main applicants assessed as owed a prevention or relief duty *

• A12: Sexual Identity of main applicants assess as owed a prevention or relief duty

Statutory homelessness prevention duty outcomes

• P1: Reason for households’ prevention duty ending

• P2: Type of accommodation secured for households at end of prevention duty

• P3: Main prevention activity that resulted in accommodation secured for households at end of prevention duty

• P4: Destination of households with alternative accommodation secured at end of prevention duty*

• P5: Household type of households with accommodation secured at end of prevention duty

Statutory homelessness main duty decisions & outcomes

• MD1: Outcome of main duty decision for eligible households

• MD2: Outcome of households no longer owed a main duty

• MD3: Priority need category of households owed a main duty

Households in temporary accommodation

Households in temporary accommodation

• TA1: Number of households in temporary accommodation at end of quarter by temporary accommodation type

• TA2: Number of households in temporary accommodation at end of quarter by household type

• TA3: Number of households in temporary accommodation at end of quarter by duty provide

* These tables will now only be published as part of the expanded annual release at end of financial year. The latest published figures can be found in the 2021-22 Detailed local authority level tables.

14. Technical information

Please see the technical notes for further details on the data used for this release. Further information about official statistics is also available on the UK Statistics Authority and Statistics at DLUHC website.

1. Other ethnic group is defined as Arab or any other ethnic group that is not White, Asian, Black or Mixed ethnic group. ↩