This awful revelation, from the latest official statistics, indicates that over 320,000 households in England have been assessed as homeless in the past 12 months, up 8% on last year and now the highest figure on record.

More broadly, while homelessness in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is measured separately, a recent analysis by the Financial Times found that one in every 200 households in the UK is experiencing homelessness. Indeed, the UK leads the field with the top rate of homelessness in the developed world

WTF?! In the world’s sixth biggest economy.

And a deeper dive doesn’t help. Thanks to The Big Issue Group’s (TBIG) annual pre-Christmas round up, we know that unprecedented numbers of households are living in temporary accommodation, including, in England alone, nearly 160,000 children (think damp and mouldy B&Bs); that 11,993 rough sleepers were spotted on London streets between April 2023 and March 2024, a 19% increase on the previous year and 58% higher than a decade ago.

It goes on. Women are often missed by rough sleeping counts because, unsurprisingly, they seek the relative safety of invisibility. Experts believe, according to TBIG, that as many as 5,000 women could be undocumented rough sleepers in England.

Research among people experiencing homelessness has shown that three quarters of respondents reported a physical health problem, 80% a mental health issue, and 35% had been to A&E in the six months prior to the survey.

Appallingly, as I mention every December, nearly one in three souls who die while homeless do so from a treatable condition. The Museum of Homelessness’s Dying Homeless project has counted over 4,000 deaths across the UK since 2019.

To the unholy trinity of causes for this injustice (lack of suitable housing, unaffordable rents, inadequate benefits) must be added the current cost of living pressure. This extends to family and friends being unable to accommodate those in need. In short, the calamity is getting worse and past attempts at a remedy have failed.

It is impossible not to agree with Matt Downie, CEO at Crisis, when he says: “The need to tackle homelessness and start building the social homes we need (i.e. 90,000 every year) has never been more urgent.”

As others have suggested, this is a national scandal and an international embarrassment.

Perhaps the new government, with its strong mandate, can take a more robust and longer-term view? Reassuringly, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner will lead a new cross-government taskforce for homelessness. The creation of this inter-ministerial group has been welcomed by leaders in the field.

There is clear evidence of what can work and how. In Finland, for example, homelessness has decreased by 75% over 30 years. Success has been driven by a combination of sufficient resources and the ‘housing first’ principle. The latter advocates providing a person experiencing homelessness with a home without any conditions. The theory is that once people have a permanent home, they will be able to seek the help they require to improve their lives.

This strategy has been maintained by multiple governments, has involved a wide partnership network (including big cities and NGOs), and has been supported by strict rules on affordable housing, underpinned by the conviction that housing is a human right.

Also, as the Finns have recognised by seeing the big picture, solving the problem is costly but cheaper than managing it, financially and spiritually.

World Homeless Day comes around on 10th October. And the Christmas period gives homelessness a hit in the national consciousness. But it’s not enough. This is a 24/7 problem. We need 2025 to be the Year of Homelessness.

If this resonates, make some noise. Home is the most important four-letter word in the English language.

Season’s greetings to you and yours. Thanks for reading my blogs this year.