Homelessness Transparency Hub

Independent information and signposting hub for people facing homelessness, rough sleeping, eviction, temporary accommodation, housing crisis, domestic abuse, debt, mental health pressures or local authority housing problems.

Emergency: If someone is in immediate danger, call 999. If you are sleeping rough or see someone sleeping rough in England or Wales, use StreetLink. If you are homeless or at risk of homelessness, contact your local council housing options or homelessness team urgently.

StreetLink   |   Find Your Local Council

Important: Homelessness law and statistics differ across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This hub provides signposting, transparency information and public information only. Always check official council, government, Shelter, Crisis, NHS, regulator and legal sources for information relevant to your individual circumstances.

Major Update - August 2026

A number of important homelessness, housing and private-renting developments have taken place since this hub was last updated.

• England published new statutory homelessness statistics on 13 August 2026, covering January to March 2026.
• The number of households in temporary accommodation in England reached 135,580 on 31 March 2026.
• There were 177,530 children living in temporary accommodation in England on 31 March 2026.
• Major Renters' Rights Act reforms took effect in England on 1 May 2026.
• Section 21 "no fault" eviction has ended for the new English private-renting system, subject to transitional proceedings.
• Discretionary Housing Payments ended in England on 31 March 2026 and were replaced from 1 April 2026 by the Housing Payment strand of the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
• The Vagrancy Act 1824 was repealed on 29 June 2026, ending the historic criminalisation of rough sleeping under that legislation.
• Wales now has the Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 1 April 2026.
• New Northern Ireland homelessness statistics covering October 2025 to March 2026 were published in June 2026.

Latest Statutory Homelessness Picture - England

The latest official statistics were published on 13 August 2026 and cover January to March 2026.

Children & Families in Temporary Accommodation - England

On 31 March 2026:

• 86,460 households with children were living in temporary accommodation.
• A total of 177,530 children were living in temporary accommodation.
• 1,900 households with children were living in B&B accommodation.
• 1,000 families had been in B&B accommodation for more than the statutory six-week limit.
• The number of households with children in temporary accommodation was higher than a year earlier.

Temporary Accommodation - Length of Stay & Out-of-Area Placements

The January to March 2026 statistics also highlight how long some families remain in temporary housing.

• 51,390 households were in nightly paid self-contained temporary accommodation.
• 12,220 households were in B&B accommodation.
• 43,180 households were recorded in temporary accommodation outside the local authority area responsible for them.
• 28,280 of those out-of-area households contained children.
• For households with children, the most common recorded length of stay in temporary accommodation was 2 to 5 years, covering 22,060 households.

GOV.UK - Suitability of Accommodation

Why Are People Becoming Homeless? - Latest England Data

Official January to March 2026 statistics show that homelessness is linked to several recurring pressures.

Households Owed a Prevention Duty

• 36.0% - 14,120 households: end of a private rented assured shorthold tenancy.
• 23.6% - 9,260 households: family or friends no longer willing or able to accommodate them.

Households Already Homeless and Owed a Relief Duty

• 28.9% - 12,920 households: family or friends no longer willing or able to accommodate them.
• 17.0% - 7,610 households: domestic abuse.

Support Needs

Of the 83,850 households owed a prevention or relief duty:

• 30.6% had a history of mental health problems.
• 24.1% had physical ill health or disability.
• 13.4% were at risk of, or had experienced, domestic abuse.

Rough Sleeping - England

The latest annual official snapshot remains the Autumn 2025 snapshot.

It estimated 4,793 people sleeping rough on a single night in England.

• Up 3% from 2024.
• The fourth annual increase in a row.
• 171% higher than the equivalent 2010 snapshot.
• 43% of the total was in London and the South East.
• 82% were recorded as male.
• 15% were recorded as female.

Worst Affected Areas & Regional Picture - England 2025

The latest annual rough sleeping snapshot shows London and the South East together accounted for around 43% of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2025.

London had the largest number overall, while the North East recorded the largest percentage increase compared with 2024.

Region	People Sleeping Rough 2025	Change from 2024
London	1,277	Down 3%
South East	797	About level
South West	585	Up 11%
North West	441	Up 20%
East of England	437	Up 6%
East Midlands	387	Down 2%
West Midlands	378	Up 9%
Yorkshire and The Humber	329	Down 15%
North East	162	Up 31%

England total: 4,793 people.

The next annual autumn rough-sleeping snapshot is expected to cover autumn 2026 and is expected to be published in early 2027.

Government Homelessness Policy - England

The government published A National Plan to End Homelessness in December 2025.

Its objectives include:

• Increasing the proportion of people helped to remain in their existing home or secure alternative accommodation before homelessness occurs.
• Reducing long-term rough sleeping.
• Improving homelessness prevention across public services.
• Reducing reliance on emergency temporary accommodation.
• Eliminating unlawful use of B&B accommodation for families, other than very short-term emergency use, by the end of this Parliament.
• Improving temporary accommodation standards and reducing inappropriate out-of-area placements.

July 2026 - Further Rough Sleeping Announcement

On 20 July 2026, the UK Government announced a further national drive aimed at ending rough sleeping in England.

The announcement included an additional £340 million of funding and renewed the government's commitment to intensify action on rough sleeping.

Private Renting Changed in England - 1 May 2026

The Renters' Rights Act made major changes to the private rented sector from 1 May 2026.

• Most existing assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies.
• New assured tenancies generally operate on a periodic basis rather than having a fixed end date.
• Section 21 "no fault" eviction can no longer generally be used under the new system.
• Landlords who want possession must identify a legal ground for possession.
• Landlords must use the correct notice and court procedure.
• Tenants can challenge certain proposed rent increases.
• New restrictions apply to rental bidding.
• New protections apply against discrimination against prospective tenants because they have children or receive benefits.
• Local authorities have stronger powers to enforce private-renting legislation.

England - Discretionary Housing Payments Replaced

A major change took place on 1 April 2026.

Discretionary Housing Payments ended in England on 31 March 2026.

They were replaced by the Housing Payment strand of the Crisis and Resilience Fund.

Housing Payments can provide additional support towards housing costs for eligible people receiving:

• Housing Benefit
• Universal Credit with housing costs towards rental liability

Funding can potentially help with:

• Rent shortfalls
• Rent deposits
• Rent in advance
• Removal costs
• Costs associated with securing accommodation
• Certain rent arrears circumstances

The fund also contains a Crisis Payment strand that can provide wider local financial-crisis assistance.

Free Legal Help to Prevent Loss of a Home

The Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS) operates throughout England and Wales.

It allows anyone at risk of losing their home to obtain free legal advice and, where appropriate, representation in possession proceedings regardless of financial circumstances.

Advice may cover:

• Housing
• Possession proceedings
• Rent arrears
• Debt
• Welfare benefits

Wales - New Homelessness Law in 2026

The Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 1 April 2026.

The legislation is intended to:

• Strengthen homelessness prevention
• Enable earlier intervention
• Expand access to homelessness services
• Strengthen multi-agency responsibility for preventing homelessness
• Reform social housing allocation
• Improve support for people with additional needs

Latest Welsh Homelessness Data

Welsh Government monthly data continues to record temporary accommodation and rough sleeping.

For April 2026, official published figures recorded:

• 10,408 people living in temporary accommodation on 30 April 2026.
• 1,266 placements into temporary accommodation during April.
• 750 people moved into suitable long-term accommodation.
• An estimated 149 people sleeping rough on 30 April 2026.

StatsWales datasets have since been updated through May 2026.

Latest Scotland Homelessness Position

The latest published Scottish six-month statistics available on 22 August 2026 cover April to September 2025.

• 20,643 homelessness applications.
• 17,291 households assessed as homeless.
• 18,092 households in temporary accommodation on 30 September 2025.
• 10,480 children in temporary accommodation.
• 33,006 open homelessness applications.
• 83% of unintentionally homeless households with a known outcome secured settled accommodation.

Common Causes Reported in Scotland

• Asked to leave - 26%.
• Non-violent household dispute - 18%.
• Violent household dispute - 13%.

Latest Northern Ireland Homelessness Position

The latest dedicated Northern Ireland Homelessness Bulletin covers October 2025 to March 2026.

• 7,836 households presented as homeless.
• 5,039 households - 64.3% - were accepted as statutorily homeless.
• The leading reasons for presenting included accommodation being unreasonable, family or sharing breakdown and loss of rented accommodation.
• As of April 2026, 5,633 households were living in temporary accommodation.
• 3,408 of those households were in private single lets.
• 1,031 were living in voluntary-sector hostels.

Important When Comparing UK Homelessness Figures

Do not directly add together or rank all homelessness figures from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland without understanding the measurement used.

Different publications measure different things, including:

• individual people
• households
• homelessness applications
• households accepted as homeless
• people in temporary accommodation
• households in temporary accommodation
• rough sleepers on one night
• rough sleepers during a month

The four UK nations also operate different legal systems and statistical methodologies.

What People Can Do

• If homeless today, contact the local council and ask for a homelessness assessment.
• If sleeping rough, contact StreetLink or local outreach services where available.
• If fleeing domestic abuse, call 999 in immediate danger or contact specialist domestic abuse support.
• If given unsuitable temporary accommodation, put concerns in writing and keep evidence.
• If the council refuses help, ask for written reasons and get urgent housing advice.
• If there are children, safeguarding, disability or health issues, tell the council in writing.
• If records are missing, submit a Subject Access Request for your housing file.
• Keep copies of eviction notices and possession documents.
• Keep rent statements and evidence of payments.
• Keep emails and letters sent to the council or landlord.
• Keep photographs of poor or unsafe accommodation.
• Keep medical or disability evidence relevant to housing needs.
• Ask the council to explain what homelessness duty it says is owed.
• Ask for a copy of your Personalised Housing Plan where applicable.
• Check review or appeal deadlines immediately when a written housing decision arrives.
• Do not assume making a complaint automatically challenges a homelessness decision.
• Seek legal advice urgently if court possession proceedings have started.

Challenging a Council Homelessness Decision - England

Certain homelessness decisions can be challenged using the statutory review procedure under section 202 of the Housing Act 1996.

This can include certain decisions concerning:

• Eligibility
• Whether a homelessness duty is owed
• Ending a homelessness duty
• Referral to another council
• Suitability of accommodation

A complaint about poor service is different from a statutory review of the housing decision itself.

Official Review & Appeal Guidance

Official Sources & Monitoring Links