Homelessness money is welcomed but charities say promised strategy needed

ENS of millions of pounds towards rough sleeping prevention and help for record numbers of families in temporary accommodation to access basic facilities has been welcomed by charities.

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But the organisations working in the sector warned there must be wider measures as part of a long-awaited homelessness strategy promised by the Government.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed branded homelessness a “moral stain on our society” as the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government announced £84 million in funding for homelessness this winter.

The most recent Government figures, published in July, showed the number of households in temporary accommodation in England had climbed to a new record high of 131,140 at the end of March 2025.

The number of children in temporary accommodation stood at 169,050 in March, up year on year from 151,540 and also the highest since records began in 1998.

This week a monitoring project reported that deaths among homeless people in the UK have risen by 9% in a year and included 11 children.

The Museum of Homelessness said its research suggested at least 1,611 deaths in 2024 of people experiencing homelessness.

This was up from 1,474 deaths in 2023 and 1,313 in 2022.