4,329 people were seen sleeping rough on the streets of London in the last quarter*. This is a 4% increase than the previous year.
Each of these numbers represents a person – someone with a voice, a story, and the potential to shape a different future.
Of the 2,014 people sleeping rough for the first time in April – June this year, 72% were helped off the streets after just one night – proof that early intervention schemes like No Second Night Out are making a difference.
“At The Passage, we believe that homelessness can and must be reframed as something to be prevented, not just managed once it occurs. The fact that so many people were helped off the streets after just one night shows the power of timely intervention. Models like our No Night Out prevention scheme also shows what’s possible when we act sooner. Prevention isn’t just possible – it’s essential.” – Jenny Travassos, Director of Housing and Services
View the London-wide demographics of those rough sleeping:
Gender
- Female: 755 (17.5%)
- Male: 3,566 (82.5%)
- Non-binary: 2 (0.0%)
- Unknown: 69
Age
- Under 18: 2 (0.0%)
- 18-25: 366 (8.3%)
- 26 – 35: 1,096 (25.0%)
- 36 – 45: 1,328 (30.2%)
- 46 – 55: 978 (22.3%)
- Over 55: 622 (14.2%)
Ethnicity
- Asian (inc. Chinese): 468 (10.7%)
- Black: 1,072 (24.2%)
- Mixed: 120 (2.7%)
- White (inc. Gypsy/Irish Traveller/Roma): 2,087 (47.5%)
- Arab/Other: 271 (6.2%%)
- Unknown: 374 (8.5%)
These figures represent only those cases where this information was known or disclosed.
In Westminster alone, 879 people were rough sleeping.
Despite progress in early interventions, entrenched homelessness continues to rise – underlining the urgent need for long-term, sustainable solutions. 211 people in Westminster are classified as ‘living on the streets’*1.
View the Westminster demographics of those rough sleeping:
Gender
- Female: 184 (21.3%)
- Male: 679 (78.6%)
- Non-binary: 1 (0.1%)
- Unknown: 15
Age
- Under 18: 2 (0.2%)
- 18-25: 80 (9.1%)
- 26 – 35: 208 (23.7%)
- 36 – 45: 261 (29.7%)
- 46 – 55: 199 (22.6%)
- Over 55: 129 (14.7%)
Ethnicity
- Asian (inc. Chinese): 24 (2.7%)
- Black: 173 (19.7%)
- Mixed: 21 (2.4%)
- White (inc. Gypsy/Irish Traveller/Roma): 487 (55.4%)
- Arab/Other: 64 (7.3%)
- Unknown: 110 (12.5%)
These figures represent only those cases where this information was known or disclosed.
Westminster has consistently been the borough with the highest rate of rough sleeping across the city for many years; a stark reminder of the realities we witness every day at The Passage.
Find out many people were rough sleeping in your area:
- Barking & Dagenham: 41
- Barnet: 57
- Bexley: 44
- Brent: 184
- Bromley: 45
- Camden: 311
- City of London: 259
- Croydon: 194
- Ealing: 204
- Enfield: 46
- Greenwich: 149
- Hackney: 83
- Hammersmith & Fulham: 122
- Haringey: 137
- Harrow: 24
- Havering: 17
- Hillingdon: 177
- Hounslow: 132
- Islington: 131
- Kensington & Chelsea: 84
- Kingston upon Thames: 40
- Lambeth: 178
- Lewisham: 122
- Merton: 17
- Newham: 164
- Redbridge: 96
- Richmond: 26
- Southwark: 200
- Sutton: 5
- Tower Hamlets: 192
- Waltham Forest: 98
- Wandsworth: 61
- Westminster: 879
How The Passage is preventing and ending homelessness
From prevention to outreach, The Passage supports people at every stage of their journey out of homelessness.
Our No Night Out scheme has been recognised by Westminster Council and the Mayor of London as a model of best practice in tackling rough sleeping.
For those who do reach the streets, our Engagement and Outreach team offers vital support and a path into safe, stable housing. We work with people living long-term on the streets, helping them access services, offering basic essentials, and building trust – especially in extreme weather conditions.
Our services are trauma and psychologically-informed, built around the person – not the system. We walk alongside each individual at their own pace, helping set realistic and sustainable pathways out of homelessness.
The true value of Lived Experience
The voices of those who have experienced homelessness firsthand offer powerful insight into what works – and what doesn’t. At The Passage, we listen to and work alongside people with lived experience to shape better services, policies, and pathways out of homelessness.
“We’re driven by a strong desire to make real change in the homelessness landscape. This issue is urgent – it’s an emergency that needs immediate attention.” – The Passage Lived Experience Assembly
*Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) Q1 data: April – June 2025.
*1 Those who have had a high number of contacts over 3 weeks or more which suggests they are living on the streets.