If Khan is to achieve his 2030 target, he’ll have to deliver a remarkable turnaround.
The 2025-26 statistics represent only the third time the total number of people sleeping rough in London has fallen in the last decade.
Last year City Hall invested £10 million in funding to develop a new network of Ending Homelessness Hubs and expand his Homes off the Streets programme, which is refurbishing empty homes.
A further £8m alongside £36.5m in additional government funding has been made available to support homelessness and rough sleeping services and partners in London.
A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: “Rough sleeping in London has fallen for the first time in a year unaffected by Covid since 2017.
“While there is still much to do, a 2% reduction in the number of people seen rough sleeping is clear movement in the right direction.
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“It also shows how the mayor’s rough sleeping plan of action, launched last year, is having an impact. The mayor is focused on doing everything he can to get London on a pathway to ending rough sleeping for good by 2030, particularly to tackle longer-term rough sleeping.”
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A total of 3,184 people spotted sleeping rough had previously been seen in 2024-25, up 5% on the previous year.
A total of 1,291 young people aged 25 and under slept rough in the English capital – an 8.5% decrease from the previous year. The number of care leavers on the streets also decreased with 667 people seen rough sleeping in 2025-26, compared to 721 in the previous year.
However, Centrepoint said that falling levels of young people found sleeping on the streets likely masks the true scale of youth homelessness in London and called for one-bedroom social homes to help them.
Lisa Doyle, Centrepoint’s head of policy and public affairs, said: “As one of the most dangerous types of homelessness, it’s undeniably good news to see it decrease – but we must remember the rough sleeping is only part of the picture.
“For every young rough sleeper in London, there are many more young people without somewhere safe to stay. They too have been failed by the system and mustn’t be forgotten about when discussing homelessness in London and beyond.”
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The latest Chain statistics cover a period when the Labour government launched its national homelessness strategy across England to add to Sadiq Khan’s own rough sleeping plan.
They also come a day after Andy Burnham set out his plan to ensure “everyone has a good home” if, as expected, he becomes the next prime minister.
Fiona Colley, director of social change at Homeless Link, the national membership body for frontline homelessness services, said the overall fall in numbers is “encouraging”.
“The mayor of London’s rough sleeping plan of action set out strong proposals for change, and it is working,” said Colley.
“Just as Andy Burnham is advocating for further devolution and the role of the regions in shaping their own futures, this is early evidence that when committed services are supported by local political leadership and robust policies, positive change is indeed possible.”
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