The most recent Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) rough sleeping data from London has been published, revealing a positive sign in the UK’s fight to reduce rough sleeping and homelessness. For the first time since 2017/18 in a year unaffected by the COVID pandemic, rough sleeping in the capital has fallen year on year, with a reduction of 2%.
CHAIN data is comprised of a multi-agency database recording information about people seen rough sleeping, and the wider street population. This means CHAIN data is thought to be a much more comprehensive picture of overall homelessness levels than those published in national street count statistics, which represents a snapshot of people seen rough sleeping on a single night.
Although the first reduction of rough sleeping in London is a positive sight, the overall picture remains a concerning sign of the times. In the last 11 years, rough sleeping in London has risen by 71%, from 7,581 people in 2014/15 to 12,938 in 2025/26, including a 10% increase from 2023/24 to 2024/25.
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Across the last 11 years however, another statistic sheds light on the complex factors at play if the UK wants to truly work towards integrating it’s homeless population back into the society. Since 2014/15, the number of people sleeping rough in London with mental health support needs has more than doubled (risen by 106%) from 2,342 in 2014/15 to 4,830 in 2025/26.
Homelessness brings with it significant psychological impacts that are not undone by simply finding a space to call home. Many of the homeless population suffer with drug and alcohol abuse issues, often as a means to self-medicate in response to the psychological consequences of sleeping rough. In order to be truly effective, any effort to support the homeless population to begin to rebuild a healthy, stable life, significant time and resources must be allocated to support their wider wellbeing, as well as simply getting them off the street.
This can be seen in countries globally that have successfully seen large reductions in homelessness. Finland’s housing first system has overseen a 68% to 76% reduction in long-term homelessness since 2008, a system that has been trialled and seen positive results here in the UK. Embedded into this system is dedicated, personalised care resources, focused as much on the individuals specific needs as well as their need for a home.
Lee Buss-Blair, Director of Operations at Riverside Care and Support, said:
“We are heartened to see the first annual reduction in rough sleeping in London in a year unaffected by Covid since 2017/18.
“However, the number of people sleeping rough in London with mental health support needs is still increasing year-on-year and has now more than doubled (risen by 106%) over the past eleven years.
“This increase in support needs comes at a time when many supported housing services are having to close their doors due to a lack of funding.*
“Last year a large-scale survey showed that more than half of supported housing providers may have to close further services without a new long-term funding commitment from government.
“The lack of funding is leading to a dwindling supply of support services which are not sufficient to meet the growing need for support.
“This will lead to more untreated support needs and spiralling knock-on costs for other public services like the NHS and increase pressure on other housing services, clearly demonstrating the need for joined-up funding to address both housing and mental health support needs.
“We welcome HM Treasury’s Value for Money review into supported housing and homelessness services as it offers an opportunity to prioritise the delivery of good quality supported housing services which save money, provide better outcomes and need long-term funding to keep their doors open.
“While preparing their five-year local supported housing strategies, it is essential that local authorities consult with supported housing providers, and the users of their services, to identify the level of support needs people have in each local area so the government understands the scale of funding needed to meet rising support needs.
“National government funding can only meet the increasing support needs we are seeing on London’s streets and across England if it has an accurate picture of the mental health and rough sleeping crises that local councils and supported housing providers are working tirelessly to address, and then providing the funding necessary to continue and expand supported housing services.”
