Number of homeless deaths in 2020 falls but could be underestimated due to Covid

Over 650 homeless people died in England and Wales

Author: Radina Koutsafti and Jemma Crew, PAPublished 1st Dec 2021
Last updated 9th Dec 2021

A total of 688 deaths of homeless people were registered last year in England and Wales, including 13 deaths involving Covid, according to new figures.

It is the first time the annual number of registered deaths has fallen since 2014, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The ONS also said the 2020 figures may underestimate the true number of homeless deaths.

New research from homeless charity Shelter has also found that 274,000 people are without a permanent home in England on any given night this winter, including 126,000 children.

Pandemic scheme and delays in death registrations cause mix-ups

The 'Everyone In' scheme saw thousands of homeless people rapidly brought to safety at the start of the pandemic.

But the ONS said it had made it more difficult to identify homeless people in its records.

People were given emergency accommodation such as hotels to keep them safe.

Though as there was no centralised record of these locations, it "has made it difficult to identify deaths of homeless people housed under this scheme", the ONS explained.

The figures include the deaths of people sleeping rough or using emergency or temporary accommodation at or around the time of death.

Due to delays in death registrations, about half of the deaths registered in 2020 occurred before this year, the ONS said.

The ONS has also refrained from commenting on the impact of the pandemic, lockdowns and the 'Everyone In' scheme on the number of deaths due to these delays.

London and the North West mark highest number of deaths

Almost 40% of the total deaths were related to drug poisoning, while deaths by suicide fell by around a third, from 112 in 2019, to 74.

Deaths related to alcohol also made up a small portion of the total.

Almost nine in 10 deaths were of men and 19 deaths involved people under the age of 25.

London and the North West were the regions with the highest number of deaths registered.

The figures show that the death rate of homeless people has more than doubled in three regions since 2013: the North West, Yorkshire and The Humber, and the East Midlands.

"This simply shouldn't be a reality"

Rick Henderson, chief executive of Homeless Link, said 688 deaths in a year is "clearly unacceptable" and these must be investigated to prevent people dying too early in future.

He said: "In one of the richest societies in the world, this simply shouldn't be the reality.

"But the fact that the number of deaths has officially gone down for the first time in five years and that there were so few deaths from Covid, despite the increased vulnerabilities of many who experience homelessness, is important.

"From April 2020 onwards, the Government provided anyone sleeping rough with accommodation as part of the Everyone In scheme.

"This shows the impact of providing stable accommodation, whilst treating homelessness as a health issue. We must continue to harness this approach moving forward."

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