What are the main findings?
- 741 homeless people are estimated to have died in England and Wales in 2021 – 54% higher than when records began in 2013
- The average age at death was 45 for men and 43 for women – more than 30 years lower than the average age in the general population
- London (154), the North West (114) and the South East (90) had the highest number of estimated homeless deaths
- Almost two in five deaths were related to drug poisoning in 2021, consistent with previous years
- There were an estimated 99 suicide deaths and 71 alcohol-specific deaths – 13.4% and 9.6% of deaths respectively
- Most deaths in 2021 were among men (647 estimated deaths or 87.3% of the total), consistent with previous years.
Expert thought
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: ‘It is utterly awful and unacceptable that two people die every day without anywhere safe to live – and this number is rising. This is going to be one of the toughest winters yet as so many people battle rising rents while housing benefit stays frozen. The government promised to end rough sleeping, but things are getting worse not better.’
Image Credit | Alamy
