One in every 200 people are now homeless in the UK (Picture: Jerry Syder for Metro.co.uk)

The number of homeless people in the UK now outnumbers the population of Newcastle.

There has been an increase of 13,000, bringing the total number of homeless people in the UK to 307,000, according to leading homeless charity Shelter.

That means that there ae more people sleeping rough or in temporary accomodation than the 296,478 residents in Newcastle-upon-Tyne local authority area.

London could face new coronavirus restrictions 'within days'

Shelter’s review – which combines official rough-sleeping and temporary accommodation figures and social services figures – is reportedly the most extensive of its kind.


Chief executive Polly Neate said thousands were stuck trying to ‘escape the devastating trap of homelessness’, pointing to ‘decades of failure’ on building affordable homes and the effects of recent welfare cuts.



She said: ‘Some will have spent the night shivering on a cold pavement, others crammed into a dingy, hostel room with their children. And what is worse, many are simply unaccounted for.’

A homeless man sleeps outside a shop on Oxford Street in London (Picture: Getty)

The Government was recently criticised by the public spending watchdog for failing to effectively tackle the rocketing homelessness that has been partly fuelled by its own welfare reforms.

A snapshot overnight count last autumn recorded 4,134 rough sleepers, a 134% hike since the Conservatives took power, the National Audit Office (NAO) said.

Some 77,240 households – including 120,540 children – were in temporary accommodation in March, it added.

Sex attacker tried to blame imaginary identical twin for his assault

The ending of private sector tenancies has become the main cause of homelessness in England, rather than changes in personal circumstances such as relationship breakdowns, with a threefold increase in numbers since 2010/11, the NAO found.

One in 200 people in England is homeless, Shelter said, adding it had mapped 50 ‘hotspots’ across the UK showing where the ‘epidemic’ was most critical.

Newham, East London, had the highest rates – with one in every 25 people reportedly homeless.

Ms Neate added: ‘As this crisis continues to unfold, the work of our frontline services remains absolutely critical.

Graffiti artwork depicting British Prime Minister Theresa May as homeless and begging (Picture: Getty)

‘We will do all we can to make sure no-one is left to fight homelessness on their own. But we cannot achieve this alone; we urgently need the public’s support to be there for everyone who needs us right now.’

The report, Far From Alone: Homelessness In Britain In 2017, estimates total numbers of homeless people using the latest available data from various sources including the Government, charities, and social services.

To support Shelter’s appeal, visit www.shelter.org.uk or text SHELTER to 70080 to donate £3.

Areas with highest rates of homelessness The top 50 local authorities in England with the highest rates of people recorded as homeless, according to Shelter. The figures have been compiled from data covering only temporary accommodation and rough sleeping. It reads, from left to right: local authority; region; total number of people homeless; homelessness rate (1 in x people are homeless) 1. Newham; London; 13,607; 25 2. Haringey; London; 9,717; 29 3. Westminster; London; 8,054; 31 4. Enfield; London; 10,057; 33 5. Kensington and Chelsea; London; 4,401; 36 6. Waltham Forest; London; 7,634; 36 7. Brent; London; 8,905; 37 8. Barking and Dagenham; London; 5,578; 37 Homeless people sleeping in shop fronts in Birmingham City centre (Picture: Getty) 9. Tower Hamlets; London; 7,428; 41 10. Hackney; London; 6,167; 44 11. Redbridge; London; 6,257; 48 12. Lewisham; London; 6,214; 49 13. Hammersmith and Fulham; London; 3,521; 51 14. Luton; East of England; 4,189; 52 15. Ealing; London; 6,556; 52 16. Croydon; London; 7,075; 54 17. Barnet; London; 7,033; 55 18. Lambeth; London; 5,673; 58 A homeless man holding a sign in London (Picture: PA) 19. Southwark; London; 4,987; 63 20. Brighton and Hove; South East; 4,218; 69 21. Wandsworth; London; 4,595; 69 22. Bromley; London; 4,481; 73 23. Broxbourne; East of England; 1,304; 74 24. Bexley; London; 2,929; 84 25. Birmingham; West Midlands; 12,785; 88 26. Kingston upon Thames; London; 1,933; 91 27. Hounslow; London; 2,778; 98 28. Harrow; London; 2,368; 105 29. Milton Keynes; South East; 2,396; 110 (Picture: Getty) 30. Islington; London; 1,927; 121 31. Harlow; East of England; 701; 123 32. City of London; London; 75; 125 33. Havering; London; 1,956; 129 34. Slough; South East; 1,117; 132 35. Hillingdon; London; 2,194; 138 36. Watford; East of England; 675; 143 37. Sutton; London; 1,339; 151 38. Manchester; North West; 3,511; 154 39. Gosport; South East; 533; 160 40. Dartford; South East; 642; 164 Homeless people sleeping in shop fronts in Birmingham City centre (Picture: Getty) 41. Reading; South East; 978; 166 42. Bristol; South West; 2,674; 170 43. Basildon; East of England; 1,079; 170 44. Dacorum; East of England; 873; 175 45. Epsom and Ewell; South East; 428; 186 46. Peterborough; East of England; 1,042; 189 47. Camden; London; 1,271; 194 48. New Forest; South East; 890; 201 49. Greenwich; London; 1,387; 202 50. Chelmsford; East of England; 831; 209