More than 1,400 people died while homeless in the UK in 2023: ‘People are dying at terrifying rates’

More than 1,400 people died while homeless in the UK last year, according to new research from the Museum of Homelessness (MoH), amid a warning that things will get much, much worse unless the Labour government takes urgent action.

The research from the charity’s Dying Homeless Project shows that the number of homeless people who died in 2023 was 1,474, which is a 12% increase on the numbers recorded in 2022. The number of people who died while rough sleeping – defined by the government as people bedded in streets, tents or bus shelters – surged by 42% in contrast with a 27% increase in the total number of rough sleepers.

The statistics also cover people placed in emergency accommodation and other temporary housing settings.

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Further analysis by the MoH also found that people experiencing homelessness were three times more likely to be murdered. Researchers found that 13 people classified as homeless were murdered in 2023 – more than double the figure in 2022.

“People are dying on the street at terrifying rates,” warned MoH co-director Matt Turtle. “The only way to tackle this emergency is with an increase in support for off the street accommodation, like winter shelters.

“The systems of care for people living with poverty and homelessness are in tatters after 15 years of cuts and corruption. Labour has not yet set out plans to mitigate the damage caused by the last government and our analysis indicates things are set to get much grimmer unless the government acts now to save lives.”

The Museum of Homelessness’ Dying Homeless Project uses a rigorous verification process to arrive at the final figures, including analysis of information from coroners’ enquiries, media coverage, family testimony and freedom of information requests to verify details of each case.

The lack of effective frontline services, the MoH argues, contributes to an epidemic of “deaths of despair”, which includes deaths from alcohol, drugs and suicide. These makes up 47% of deaths of homeless people where the cause of death is known, according to the research.

Recorded deaths of homeless people are particularly acute in some parts of the UK. Cardiff saw a 59% increase in the number of people who died while homeless last year. The North East, meanwhile, has the highest rate of deaths outside of London.

At least 38 deaths were recorded as suicide in 2023. Almost half of these (47%) were people under 35-years-old – a 20% increase compared to 2022.

Gill Taylor, strategic lead at the Dying Homeless Project, explained how the closure of winter night shelters is “painfully reflected” in this year’s figures.

“We know the shelters closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and although that was necessary at the time for infection control, they never reopened,” she said.

“So we’ve got this huge gap between the accommodation available and the people who need it. And of course, with lots of new refugees being given their status and evicted from the accommodation that they’re in, we’re finding a huge number of more people on the street.

“Investing in emergency accommodation for people that are rough sleeping feels like a really urgent priority.”

Labour must ‘end the criminalisation of homelessness in all its forms’

The Dying Homeless Project has also seen a significant increase in drug-related deaths. Gill Taylor argued the government must invest more money into preventative services, especially mental health services, and take action on enforcement and surveillance tactics by local authorities and the police.

She pointed to the death of Marius Kasmocius, 31, of no fixed abode, who died in a wooded area in Flintshire last October. A statement at the coroner’s court said Kasmocius was first referred to mental health services in Lithuania aged 10 before moving to Cheshire in 2019, where he was referred to the Cheshire and Wirral Mental Health Services NHS Foundation.

He received a community protection notice by police in 2019 which banned him from “dancing in public”.

“Criminalising homelessness only shifts people further into poverty and destitution,” Taylor said. “People risk dying in the shadows because people feel afraid. They don’t trust that they will be treated with respect and dignity, they’re moved on from the places that they have no choice but to sleep.

“What we’re seeing is people experiencing homelessness, people living on the streets, having their entire lives controlled, failed and criminalised, pushing them further and further into the margins. [Kasmocius] took his own life because he was so isolated, he did not get the care that he needed.

“Criminalisation doesn’t work. It doesn’t support people off the street, it pushes people further away from society. Labour should take action to end the criminalisation of homelessness in all its forms, to invest in the public infrastructure, that would mean that any of those criminalised cases weren’t necessary because we had the public infrastructure for people.”

Homeless people on the streets unlikely to make it to their 50th birthday

Porchlight, a homelessness and mental health charity, is highlighting homelessness deaths across Kent with an installation of six tents with powerful messages revealing that people living on the streets are unlikely to make it to their 50th birthday. It’s an anti-birthday message for the charity’s own 50th anniversary.

“Until everyone can celebrate their 50th birthday, we won’t be celebrating ours,” explained Porchlight spokesperson Chris Thomas. “It wouldn’t feel right. Especially when winter is fast approaching and sleeping out in the cold can kill.

“And although we’re doing everything we can to keep people safe, funding cuts have scaled back the help we’re able to provide. At the same time, homelessness is getting worse. So we’re using our 50th anniversary to raise the alarm about the danger people face.

“It’s an uncomfortable truth, but nobody should feel comfortable about this – least of all our politicians. We hope this installation amplifies the danger people face and that someone in a position of power takes notice and takes action.”

The Labour government has pledged a long-term cross-government strategy to end homelessness, working with mayors and councils across the country. The pledge comes after the independent public spending watchdog, the National Audit Office, criticised the previous Conservative government for having no long-term homelessness plan.

However, charity bosses are frustrated Labour has not prioritised homelessness in its upcoming budget. First reported in The Guardian, they warn rough sleeping will head back towards record levels unless Labour fills a looming £1bn shortfall in frontline funding when deals agreed by the last government expire in the coming months.

Data published by the museum is in response to an absence of homelessness data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS has not published official statistics on homelessness deaths for two years, according to the Museum of Homelessness.

A spokesperson for the ONS said: “Producing statistics in the area is complex so we have been doing further work to ensure more robust data. We previously published a blog with information on the challenges of homeless death statistics across the UK.

“We plan to revise the methodology used to produce our homeless deaths data so it is likely that our next publication will be in 2025.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “Every one of these deaths is a tragedy and is a damning indictment of the disgraceful rise in homelessness in recent years which has a devastating impact.

“We are taking action by setting up a dedicated cross-government group, chaired by the deputy prime minister, to develop a long-term strategy to get us back on track to end homelessness.

“Councils and their partners deliver vital work to tackle rough sleeping including drug and alcohol treatment and wrap around support. Funding allocations will be set out following the budget.”

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