On what basis does the Government characterise the number of people sleeping rough as having begun to stabilise, when the Homelessness Insights report to 31 March 2026 records that council staff in most areas engaged reported increasing numbers of people living without shelter over the previous six months?

Answer

HUD’s six-monthly Homelessness Insights report draws on multiple different types and sources of data to identify potential trends. Six out of fifteen of the areas living without shelter data was collated from indicated possible decreases or unchanged figures. These sit alongside a number of sources of service-use data which indicated fairly stable numbers in some areas. Homelessness measurement is in a transition phase. Until more robust, regular data measures are available, the data in the Homelessness Insights report should continue to be treated as indicative and interpreted with appropriate caution.