It's rained every day this year - imagine living outside

This time of year, we should have an eye on Spring. We should be considering bringing out the sunglasses for the dog walk, we should be looking forward to Easter, the clocks changing, and getting home from work while it's light outside. 

But we're not. We got through a brutally cold December and what have we got in return? 41 straight days of rain in the UK. 

It's miserable for all of us. I personally got locked out of my flat last night for an hour in the rain, and I felt like the unluckiest man in the South East. When I did get in, I went to bed annoyed and I woke up that way. 

The reason I bring this up is because that was only an hour. I asked myself what I did to deserve that and it dawned on me, that in what feels like the rainiest time the UK has seen in a long time, there are hundreds of thousands of people who have do not have a roof over their heads. 

Homelessness in England remains one of the most pressing social crises of our time — and a defining moral challenge for communities, policymakers and charities alike. 

According to the most recent figures by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, homelessness in England has surged to record levels. Over 330,000 households were owed support after contacting a council for help in 2024–25, with 132,410 families living in temporary accommodation — the highest figure on record — including over 170,000 children. Rough sleeping figures have also climbed, with thousands of people sleeping rough on any given night, marking dramatic increases over the past decade.

These figures tell only part of the story. Official counts often understate the true scale of hardship because they don’t capture people who are “hidden homeless” — those sofa surfing, living in overcrowded housing, or crammed into unsuitable accommodation. 

One worrying trend (depending on who you ask) is the sharp rise in homelessness among refugees. I know there are people who have no sympathy for these people, primarily due to the manner in which they arrived in the country, but recent government data shows a five-fold increase in the number of refugee households who are homeless or at risk of homelessness over the last four years — from approximately 3,500 in 2021/22 to over 19,000 in 2024/25. Charities attribute this surge to government policy that gives newly recognised refugees just a short period — often 28 days — to move out of Home Office accommodation and secure housing and benefits. Many find themselves with no legal right to work immediately, no benefits yet, and nowhere to live.

This is not just a statistic; it’s a human tragedy that disrupts lives already marked by adversity. The stories of individuals camping in public spaces after fleeing war and persecution underscore how homelessness intersects with immigration and asylum policy.

In response to the crisis, the UK government published what it calls a national plan to end homelessness — a cross-government strategy that aims to halve long-term rough sleeping by the end of the current Parliament and end the use of bed and breakfasts for families except in emergencies. The plan includes significant investments in supported housing, targeted prevention programmes and new expectations for coordinated action across local authorities, health services and community organisations.

Crucially, the plan moves beyond crisis response to commit resources to prevention, recognising that homelessness rarely starts on the streets — but often years earlier, when people face eviction, benefit gaps, mental health challenges, or systemic barriers to affordable housing. Prevention aims to reduce risk across the population and keep people in stable homes wherever possible.

But there is also critique. Campaigners and analysts caution that ambitious targets are only meaningful if backed by concrete delivery on affordable and social housing, strengthened rights for tenants, and real support for families at risk. Some argue that placing the onus primarily on existing homelessness services risks repeating the cycle of emergency response rather than prevention.

Amid the headlines and policy debates, charities are doing the hard work of supporting people every day. A recent Dulux paint campaign exemplifies how grassroots and corporate partnerships can raise funds and awareness for homelessness charities like St Mungo’s, which last year supported approximately 26,000 people facing homelessness and related challenges across southern England. For every tin of Dulux Trade or Dulux Heritage paint sold in the campaign, funds were channelled to frontline support services and training programmes designed to help people rebuild their lives.

Organisations like St Mungo’s provide pathways into meaningful employment, skills training and long-term stability. Their work shows that solutions must go alongside opportunity.

When it's raining outside, we're all miserable. When it's cold outside, we're all fuming - but we get in the house, put our heating on and make a brew. Spare a thought for the homeless - even more so than usual - in this weather. Pay no mind to the hateful rhetoric spewed about these people, and attempt to put yourself in their shoes.