The number of rough sleepers in London has surged to a record high, with around 22 people now sleeping on the streets for the first time each day, new figures suggest.
Data collated by the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) – the most comprehensive data available about the number of rough sleepers in London – shows 3,985 people slept rough across the capital from July to September 2019, 28 per cent increase.
Worryingly the figures show that 2,069 people were new rough sleepers, a rise of 50 per cent, meaning someone is becoming homeless 22 times a day and nearly every two hours.