More than 6,000 people estimated to be sleeping rough in England in March 2023

New DLUHC statistics highlight that this represents a 37 per cent increase on the same period the previous year

More than 6,000 people were estimated to be sleeping rough in England in March 2023, according to new statistics from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

In Support for people sleeping rough in England, March 2023 – management information released on a quarterly basis to give a 'more frequent but less robust' estimate of the numbers of people sleeping rough – the DLUHC advises that there were –

  • 2,447 people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in March 2023 – up 342 people or 16 per cent since the previous quarter (December 2022) and up 641 people or 35 per cent since the same period last year; and
  • 6,292 people estimated to be sleeping rough over the month of March 2023 – up 535 people or 9 per cent since December 2022, and up 1,690 people or 37 per cent since the same period last year.

NB – the DLUHC highlights that the figures illustrate 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.

In addition, the figures show that –

  • between January and March 2023, an estimated 3,438 people have been moved into medium or long-term accommodation – up 512 people or 17 per cent since the same period last year; and
  • there were 5,779 people estimated to be in off the street accommodation (a placement for people sleeping rough that is intended to last for 6 months or less) in March 2023 – down 512 people or 8 per cent since December 2022.

Alongside the statistics, the DLUHC has also updated its Dashboards on rough sleeping which can be used to break down information by year, region and local authority, and by age, gender and nationality.

For more information, see Support for people sleeping rough in England, March 2023 from gov.uk