London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 05, 2025

More than 1,200 died while homeless in the UK in 2021

More than 1,200 died while homeless in the UK in 2021

Cuts to mental illness, addiction and housing services linked to 32% increase on previous year

More than 1,200 people in the UK died while homeless in 2021, a 32% increase on the previous year, as cuts to mental illness, drug and alcohol, and housing services took their toll, according to research.

The annual audit by the charity Museum of Homelessness found most deaths occurred among people living in emergency housing or hostels. People sleeping rough or sofa-surfing accounted for 63 deaths, and seven fatalities were due to Covid-19.

Of the 253 cases where the cause of death was confirmed, 41% were related to drug and alcohol use, and 12% to suicide, which the charity said reflected the general inadequacy of mental health and addiction services provision.

“It’s heartbreaking to see so many people dying and to feel so helpless in the face of such a serious emergency. Government neglect means things keep getting worse with new provision for mental health, addiction and social housing failing to make up for previous cuts,” said Jess Turtle, a co-founder of Museum of Homelessness.

She added: “There needs to be a confidential inquiry into the deaths of homeless people to allow an honest appraisal of what’s happening to the UK’s most vulnerable people. There should also be mandatory fatality reviews for all local authorities – so lessons can be learned from each death.”


The charity said the cost of living crisis, increasing evictions and overstretched housing and homelessness budgets were likely to put the lives of many more homeless people at risk in the coming months.

Of the 12 local authority areas which had recorded the highest numbers of deaths in 2020, 11 recorded a rise last year. Seven recorded triple digit percentage increases: Glasgow, Enfield, Bedford, Barnet, Southampton, Stoke and Tower Hamlets.

A number of local authority areas recorded significant falls in the number of homeless deaths, showing “positive progress” according to Museum of Homelessness. They included Stirling, Manchester, Kingston upon Hull and Camden.

The charity said its Dying Homeless project used information from coroners’ inquiries, media coverage, family testimony and more than 300 freedom of information (FoI) requests to verify the details of each case.

Last year it verified 1,286 “real and actual” deaths across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland up from 976 in 2020, and 710 in 2020. This was likely to be an underestimate, it said, as not all authorities replied to FoI requests, including large councils such as Birmingham and Blackpool.


There were 325 homeless deaths in Northern Ireland, the figures show, although the Northern Ireland Housing Executive cautioned that this reflected a radically different definition of homelessness, and included many people in secure housing who would not be defined as homeless in the three other UK countries.

The latest official figures for homeless deaths, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in December, estimated at least 688 people died while homeless in 2020, although this applied only to England and Wales.

This was a slight fall on record numbers recorded in 2019, attributed to the “Everyone In” scheme, when 37,000 homeless people were provided with a hotel room during the early months of the pandemic. Statisticians said difficulties collecting death registration during lockdown meant it may be an underestimate.

A government spokesperson said: “Every death on our streets is a tragedy. Our most recent statistics published by the ONS estimated that homeless deaths decreased by 12% in 2020 compared to the previous year. Even one death is one too many, which is why councils will receive £2bn over the next three years to support the homeless.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
×