Sleeping Rough
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate she has made of the average length of time a rough sleeper spends rough sleeping.
Answered by Rushanara Ali
Homelessness and rough sleeping levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected. We must address this and deliver long-term solutions.
The department does not hold an estimate on the average length of time a rough sleeper spends rough sleeping. In May 2023, MHCLG launched a new data framework to better understand levels of rough sleeping, including the number of long-term rough sleepers. Our latest rough sleeping statistics publication indicates that there were 2,808 long-term rough sleepers (34% of the total) in England in June 2024.
The Government will look at these issues carefully and develop a new cross-government strategy to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness.
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