London's Homeless Skeptical of PM's Pledge to End Rough Sleeping as Numbers Hit Record High

In a small square in central London, Kevin sells copies of the Big Issue, the magazine distributed by people experiencing homelessness. 'It keeps me going,' he said. 'I don't need to go to handouts and ask for free food.'

Kevin, 60, has been homeless since leaving prison in 2010 and said he is unconvinced by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham's pledge to 'end rough sleeping.' Pointing to Burnham's earlier efforts as mayor of Greater Manchester, Kevin said the promise felt hollow. Now living in a tent, he described hostels he had stayed in as squalid and unsafe: 'I've been in three different hostels in central London and I wouldn't put my dog in one of them. It was disgusting. You'd see needles all about.'

Record Numbers, Limited Budgets

Government figures show the number of people sleeping rough in England reached a record 4,793 in 2025. The think tank Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) warned the number could rise a further 25% by 2030 if current trends continue.

Rough sleepers — those sleeping outdoors — represent a visible portion of a larger homelessness problem. Shelter estimates 382,000 people were homeless in 2025, a figure that includes those without permanent addresses, families and children.

Charities Filling the Gap

Local authorities have statutory responsibility for rough sleepers but many face tight budgets and rising debts, forcing cuts to services. Charities have stepped in: Hackney Night Shelter offers roughly 20 free beds for up to two weeks, while Street Storage provides secure storage for belongings — enabling some people to keep work kits and jobs even while sleeping rough.

Mark Palframan, director of Hackney Night Shelter: 'It's a realistic target' — but only if resources and capacity are provided.

Palframan highlighted a concerning trend: many people sleeping rough are in paid work, including former teaching assistants and film-industry staff. Unstable pay, rising living costs and changes to housing laws have eroded work as a reliable route out of homelessness.

Individual Stories

Forty-six-year-old Eddie, a Lithuanian who worked for much of his two decades in Britain, described how unpaid wages forced him into living in a removals truck and later squatting. After squatting in residential buildings was criminalised in 2012, he found himself sleeping outdoors again. 'There are empty buildings ... why not let people live there?' he asked.

Rachel Woolf, CEO of Street Storage, recalled a chef who kept his whites and knives at the facility, slept on the street during the day, worked night shifts and relied on secure storage to keep his job.

Government Pledge and Long-Term Needs

On his first day as prime minister, Burnham pledged £340 million (about $453 million) to tackle rough sleeping but did not announce a timeline or detailed plan. IPPR researcher Maya Singer Hobbs said the money is welcome but insufficient on its own: 'Will that £340 million alone solve rough sleeping? No. It is undeniably going to be expensive in the short term to solve this.' She and others argue that a major upfront investment in social housing is essential and would likely save money over the long term, but that such a program could cost billions and require budget-level commitments.

Reducing rough sleeping, advocates say, will require funding, faster asylum processing, stronger renters' rights, and long-term housing supply — alongside tailored support for people with complex needs.