Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many rough sleepers there are in the UK; how are figures that calculate the number of rough sleepers collated; and what methods have been adopted to improve the collation of that data.

We are determined to face up to the problem of rough sleeping. The Department for Communities and Local Govt. overhauled the methodology for counting rough sleepers in 2010, requiring every council to report the number of rough sleepers in their area.

This year, we published demographic data on rough sleepers for the first time. This covers gender, age and nationality.

The annual rough sleeping statistics release contains a full explanation of the methodology of the counts and estimates in England, including the new demographic data. They can be found (attached) on gov.uk.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/585713/Rough_Sleeping_Autumn_2016_Statistical_Release.pdf

As housing is devolved, the Welsh Assembly Government, Northern Ireland Executive and the Scottish Government publish homelessness statistics separately.

http://gov.wales/statistics-and-research/?subtopic=Homelessness&lang=en

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/RefTables#Publications

http://www.nihe.gov.uk/index/advice/homelessness_introduction/rough_sleeping.htm