Too many people dying while experiencing homelessness

Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity responds to new research from Museum of Homelessness, with concerning numbers reported for people living in exempt accommodation.

1,313 people died while experiencing homelessness in 2022 in the UK, with 83% of the deaths recorded occurring while the person was placed in some form of temporary homelessness accommodation, rather than while rough sleeping. These data are the latest in the ‘Dying Homeless Project’ from the Museum of Homelessness, and show an increase of 85% since 2019.

In addition, a further 151 deaths were reported by 12 local authorities – including Manchester - who hold data on deaths in exempt accommodation. Exempt accommodation is a form of supported housing for more marginalised and vulnerable groups of the population. This includes recent prison leavers, care leavers, people fleeing domestic violence, and people who are experiencing homelessness with additional support needs. In Manchester, 109 people died while living in exempt accommodation.

Crisis have previously reported on concerns about exempt accommodation, pointing to weak regulation and a lack of housing that has created space for some rogue landlords to exploit the system for their own profit. This risks leaving highly vulnerable people in unsafe, unsuitable accommodation without the support they urgently need.

Everyone has the right to an adequate standard of housing, and the figures reported by the Museum of Homelessness underline the need for urgent action. The precarity and transience associated with the experience of homelessness means it is very difficult to accurately capture and record the true extent of the problem. These figures are likely the tip of the iceberg.

We must ensure the quality and suitability of temporary accommodation, prioritise policy removing precarity from the housing market, and ensure the all support provided for more vulnerable people in our society is regulated, appropriate, and available.

Responding to the report, Dr Fran Darlington-Pollock, Head of Strategic Development, said:

“The figures are shocking, and sadly illuminate how important it is to demand adequate and affordable housing for all people, and to look beyond the experience of rough sleeping as the most visible form of homelessness. The consequences of a night sleeping on the streets can be catastrophic for health and wellbeing, but the impact of all forms of homelessness has a long and devastating reach.”

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