Commuters forced to dodge human waste outside historic railway hubs, drug addicts on the streets and sprawling camps of rough sleepers: How London’s homeless crisis is only getting worse
Rough sleeping in London has reached record levels despite new Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledging to make tackling it an early priority, with squalor and addiction visible even around gentrified landmarks such as King's Cross and St Pancras stations. Areas once notorious for prostitution and drug use before undergoing multi-million-pound regeneration now again see people sleeping rough, begging and leaving human waste on the streets, alongside encampments in tents and sleeping bags. The problem is not confined to King's Cross, with similar scenes reported at Euston station and in wealthier districts including Kensington and Covent Garden.
Official figures show more than 13,000 people were recorded sleeping rough across London last year, a new high, up 10 per cent on the previous year and four times the level of 16 years ago. Over 1,000 new rough sleepers had last been settled in asylum seekers' accommodation, while 946 were undocumented migrants without legal status in the UK, and people from minority ethnic backgrounds made up 53 per cent of the total. Joe Shalam of the Centre for Social Justice argued that immigration levels must be addressed to solve the crisis, noting that more than half of London's rough sleepers are not British nationals.
- London rough sleeping hits record high of over 13,000 people
- Areas like King's Cross see addiction and squalor despite regeneration
- Think tank links crisis partly to immigration and asylum system
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Homelessness in London includes people sleeping rough in public places as well as people staying in temporary accommodation, hostels or insecure housing. Rough sleeping is the most visible form, but it represents only part of the wider problem of people without a settled home.
Local councils, charities, health services and the government all have roles in supporting people who are homeless. Help can include emergency accommodation, housing advice, addiction and mental-health treatment, but services often have to deal with several needs at the same time.
The issue is linked to the cost and availability of housing, poverty, relationship breakdown, illness and difficulties leaving institutions such as prison or care. Areas around major stations can become particularly visible locations because they are busy, sheltered and close to transport, shops and support services.