00:00Hello, yes, a record high of over 13,000 people were recorded as sleeping rough in the capital in the last year, a 10% increase on the previous year, according to recent figures.
00:13The number of people classed as living on the streets in London has now increased by 27% in the last year too, according to the Combined Homelessness and Information Network, also known as Chain.
00:28It is said to be the highest ever annual rise, equating to another 3,000 people making the streets of London their home.
00:38Now, youth homelessness is a particular area of concern here, with 11% of those rough sleeping in the capital aged just 25 and under, and that is according to the latest figures.
00:51The total number of rough sleepers in 2025 is 63% more than it was 10 years ago.
00:59The government said it had increased funding for homelessness service by £233 million this year, bringing a total expenditure to £1 billion.
01:09That was according to a spokesman from the Ministry of Housing.
01:12They added that the latest spending review protected this record level of investment to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping beyond this financial year.
01:25So then, have Londoners actually noticed an increase in homelessness and younger rough sleepers as well on the streets of London?
01:35What I noticed is that young people are in their 20s and 30s as well, they are homeless, and government is doing their bit, but I think they need to do more.
01:48I mean, my observations with homelessness have been that I've noticed it more outside supermarkets, locally, with young people.
02:03I mean, that feels really desperate and incredibly sad.
02:07I've seen a lot of people in their 30s, definitely, but yeah, on a day-to-day level, I definitely feel like I've seen an increase.
02:19The way I see in London, especially in Poydon Borough and Lambert Borough, London don't entertain people, those who are on DSS or on benefits.
02:30They don't want to let them have their property.
02:32They don't want to rent them their properties.
02:34So that's another issue for homeless people, even though they may get some help, they won't get any property to live in, their landlord don't give them.
02:41So the government should interfere landlords and have some kind of law so they can't deny them to have, because they're right, you know, everybody have right to have a shelter on their house, on their head.
02:52So, and this is what the government should intervene and step in and tell to a landlord that, sorry, you can't deny them because they're on DSS or they're on benefits.
02:59So, and this is what they're doing.
03:00So, and then I'll be starting to let them go.
