Council cuts to walk-in homelessness services in London driving people to hospitals, report finds

It comes amid a growing homelessness crisis in the city, with the number of people reported to be sleeping rough in 2024-25 the highest ever recorded.

“People experiencing homelessness are being shut out by a system that is supposed to help them,” said Jo Underwood, lecturer in law at King’s Legal Clinic, who led the research in collaboration with the Policy Institute at King’s College London.

“When councils move services online and close their doors, people in desperate situations feel they have nowhere to go and this is driving them to attend A&E so they can speak to somebody in person.”

Last year, an investigation by Inside Housing into the accessibility of frontline homelessness services found that many authorities no longer offer in-person assistance. Freedom of Information request responses from 223 councils revealed that 17% (38) can only be initially approached online or via the phone.

The KCL report, which focused on London boroughs, found that only three offer a publicly advertised service where people experiencing homelessness can visit under any circumstances to make a homelessness application, without first booking an appointment

Ten councils ask people to first contact them by completing an online application form, while most others ask people to first reach out by telephone or email. Once someone has contacted their local authority to ask for help, some face-to face support is available, but this is often limited. 

According to the report, the shift to closed-door practices is a response to reduced funding, and has been implemented as a way of saving costs in response to significant budget cuts.

Yet it also pointed to a more general strategy, encouraged by central government, to move away from face-to-face services in a bid to to reach more people.

While the closed-door policies carry some benefits, the researchers said they also create additional barriers for others, with many people now turning to A&E departments for help.

This creates a “serious problem” for staff working in A&E, as they are meant to support people who have a serious or life-threatening health condition, the study said.

In these cases, patients can be turned away from A&E, receiving signposting back to their local authority or other local services.

“This is not just a policy failure, it’s a legal and moral one. We need to bring back community-focused, face-to-face support if we want to properly support people experiencing homelessness and relieve pressure on our health service,” Ms Underwood said.

A London Councils spokesperson said: “London is grappling with a homelessness emergency and boroughs want to provide the best possible support to all those in need.

“Having seen significant funding reductions over the last decade, London boroughs also face enormous and worsening financial pressures, which inevitably have an impact on the way they deliver services. Given the scale of the crisis, the vast majority of the £2bn boroughs spend on homelessness annually goes towards temporary accommodation costs.

“Boroughs continue to work together and with other partners – including health services, the mayor of London and the government – to prevent homelessness and ensure help is available for homeless Londoners.”