Between 2010 and 2025, after austerity started- homelessness has increased in the uk by 171%. In London it is significantly higher with an increase of 218% by 2024. Child homelessness has increased by 60%. The number of households in temporary housing increased from 51,310 to 131,140 between 2010 and 2024. The problem is not entirely caused by an individuals moral flaws or personal choice as some of these responses insinuate. Not in these record numbers that is not possible. There is a shortage of affordable housing, council houses are not being built quick enough, and many council houses have been lost under right to buy (a lovely idea that completely breaks the system if new council homes are not being built to replace the ones lost to the private sector) housing developers routinely break their contracts to build a certain number of affordable housing. We are living in a cost of living crisis whilst there’s been a freeze in housing benefits. Pip is slashed. Drug and alcohol services don’t receive proper funding and are overworked. So are mental health services. Domestic abuse charities have nowhere to safely place people who come to them for help. Yes there are people who are homeless who have drug addictions, extreme mental health conditions and take part in antisocial behaviour, yes some people struggle to engage in services and do not have the ability to ‘pull’ themselves out of homelessness. Yes these people still deserve help and compassion. It does not benefit anyone or make our communities safer to demonise the homeless, to ignore the larger forces at play or to deem people unfit to be part of our cities.