Shocking new figures have revealed that the number of homeless people in Bristol has risen by 25 per cent since the start of the Covid pandemic. Bristol City Council reported the surge in the number of households approaching it because of homelessness related issues – while the number of people sleeping rough has also soared.
A total of 817 people were sleeping rough in Bristol from 2023-2024, according to the council – an increase of 17 percent from the year before.
City councillors have now agreed a new five-year plan to tackle the rising levels of homelessness and rough sleeping. The new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025-2030 focuses on early intervention and prevention.
It will work towards a vision where everyone in Bristol has a safe and secure home to live in and no one needs to sleep rough.
The council says people who have previously been homeless or rough sleepers played a key role in shaping the strategy. The views of local people were also sought during a nine-week consultation period, with almost 400 people responding.
Councillors on the homes and housing delivery committee met on Friday (December 13) to approve the plans. Members of the strategy and resources committee have also given the green light to fund the purchase of up to 75 homes for use as temporary accommodation to help ease homelessness in Bristol during 2025/26.
‘Stark’ increase in homelessness and rough sleeping
Committee chairman, Councillor Barry Parsons, said: “ The impact of homelessness can be destructive for both families and individuals, and can have a huge impact on all aspects of life. The increase in homeless presentations and the number of people sleeping rough in Bristol is stark and shows that prevention must be at the heart of our work.
“Bristol, like many other cities, faces challenges in housing demand and supply. This is one of the UK’s most expensive areas for private renting and there is a significant shortage of affordable accommodation.
“The scale of this challenge cannot be underestimated, and we must work alongside partners to ensure that we can reach a shared goal of ending rough sleeping.”
The following priorities are included in the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025-2030 to help focus the council’s work:
- Prevention – helping people at the earliest opportunity to ensure they get the best advice and support possible
- Accommodation – increase the supply of, and access to, accommodation
- Working in partnership – working with a well-connected, well-trained, resilient homelessness prevention sector
- Helping people move forward – reducing the number of people in crisis and helping people move forward after experiencing homelessness
Helen Denyer, service director at Bristol homelessness charity St Mungo’s, said: “Rough sleeping is harmful and dangerous and can be life threatening. We have seen rough sleeping is increasing in more parts of the country and especially in Bristol and now is the Time to Respond.
“The new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy focuses on early intervention and prevention, which is what we focus on at St Mungo’s. Our frontline teams and services are working to help as many people as possible day and night.”
Last financial year (2023/24), the council spent over £13m on temporary accommodation to house over 1,400 households. It says it needs to urgently reduce its dependence on expensive temporary accommodation, whilst reducing the need for it through prevention work.