Deep dive
How many people are living in temporary accommodation?
Councils place households in B&Bs, hostels, nightly-paid rooms and leased flats while they wait for a settled home. Watch England’s count light a tower block from 1998, then find your council.
22 Oct 2026 · Reports explained: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Statutory homelessness in England: January to March 2026, released 13 August 2026; the Scottish Government’s Homelessness in Scotland 2025-26, released 22 September 2026; and the Welsh Government’s monthly figures, released 24 September 2026
Main points
- On 31 March 2026, councils in England had 135,580 households in temporary accommodation, up from 47,520 on 31 March 1998. MHCLG says the number “is at a record high”.
- 86,460 of England's households in temporary accommodation had children (March 2026).
- Scotland counted 19,004 households in temporary accommodation on 31 March 2026, up from 4,153 in 2002.
- Wales counts people, not households: 10,535 on 31 July 2026, 2,386 of them children under 16.
- On a single night in autumn 2025, councils in England counted 4,793 people sleeping rough, up from 1,768 in autumn 2010.
I · What temporary accommodation is
When a council decides it owes a homeless household somewhere to stay, and no settled home is ready, it can place them in temporary accommodation. That can be a council or housing association home, a flat leased from a private landlord, a room paid for by the night, a hostel or a bed and breakfast.
England, Scotland and Wales each have their own homelessness law, and each counts in its own way. The three counts are never added together here, because they do not measure the same thing.
- England
- Households, on the last day of each quarter, counted by MHCLG. Its long run starts on 31 March 1998.
- Scotland
- Households, on 31 March each year, counted by the Scottish Government. Its run starts in 2002.
- Wales
- People, not households, at the end of each month, counted by the Welsh Government, from April 2023.
II · The long run
Picture every household in temporary accommodation in England as a lit window in one tower block. The tower never changes size; only its lights do. Each window stands for the same number of households throughout.
31 March 1998
47,520 households
People sleeping rough are counted separately, on one night each autumn: chapter V.
On 31 March 1998, councils in England had 47,520 households in temporary accommodation. Each lit window is 500 of them. Scroll on, and the date moves with you.
By 30 September 2004 it was 101,300.
Then the lights went out. On 31 December 2010 it was 48,010, against 101,300 in September 2004.
On 31 March 2026 it was 135,580. MHCLG says the number “is at a record high”.
Where people are placed has changed too. MHCLG first counted nightly-paid rooms on their own in March 2002, when they held 3,590 households. In March 2026 they held 51,390.
86,460 of those households had children, against 54,660 in March 2002, when MHCLG first printed the count.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Statutory homelessness England level time series "live tables" (table TA1) · Reference: End of each quarter, 31 March 1998 to 31 March 2026 · Released: 13 August 2026
Every date, each nation
Play or scrub through every date a nation prints. Each nation’s tower is drawn at its own window value, so towers from two nations cannot be compared window for window.
135,580 households
As MHCLG prints it, 31 March 2026. Each lit window: 500 households.
Households with children: 86,460
III · Children
Each nation counts children in its own way: England counts households with children, Scotland households with children or a pregnant woman, and Wales children under 16 themselves.
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Statutory homelessness England level time series "live tables" (table TA1) · as published
Source: Scottish Government, Homelessness in Scotland: full statistical time series, main tables (tables 27 and 28) · as published
Source: Welsh Government, Homeless individuals temporarily accommodated at the end of the period by local authority and accommodation type · as published
IV · Where
England and Scotland print each council’s count against the households living there: England per 1,000 households, Scotland per 10,000. Wales prints no such rate, so its map shows each council’s count of people. Click a council to see its own tower below.
Hover or tap an area for its figure, or use the arrow keys.
- 0.1 to 0.7
- 0.7 to 1.3
- 1.3 to 2.2
- 2.2 to 5.5
- 5.9 to 59.8
- not published
Boundaries: ONS Local Authority Districts May 2025 UK BGC (V2).
England as a whole: 5.5 per 1,000 households.
Your council
2,788 households
As MHCLG prints it, 31 March 2026. Each lit window: 10 households.
Households with children: 2,151
V · On the streets
People sleeping rough are counted apart from temporary accommodation, and in a different way. England’s councils count or estimate the people sleeping rough on one night each autumn. Wales counts people sleeping rough during each month. Scotland publishes no comparable count of people sleeping rough.
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025 (table 1) · as published
Source: Welsh Government, Rough sleepers by local authority · as published
VI · Greater Manchester: the pledge and the counts
In May 2017 Greater Manchester’s first Mayor, Andy Burnham, set ending rough sleeping across the city region as one of his top priorities. Here are his words as GMCA published them, beside each of the ten councils’ own counts.
8 May 2017 · Andy Burnham, on his first day as Mayor of Greater Manchester
“That is why I have made ending rough sleeping across the city region by 2020 one of my top Mayoral priorities. Within three years, and if we can achieve it earlier, no one should be forced to spend a night on the streets.”
24 February 2022 · Andy Burnham, on the autumn 2021 count
“For the first time in a decade, the number of people sleeping on our streets is in double figures.”
The same release: “During that count, local authority teams found 89 people – the first time since 2013 that the number of people sleeping rough had fallen below 100 on a single-night survey.” And in a note: “As a result, official Government figures record a total of 84 for Greater Manchester.”
29 February 2024 · Andy Burnham, on the autumn 2023 count
“Every night spent on the street is a night too many, and I’m pleased to see our approach to tackling long-term rough sleeping is paying dividends.”
From the same release: “…found 149 people sleeping rough in Greater Manchester, up from 102 people in 2022.”
28 February 2025 · Andy Burnham, on the autumn 2024 count
“Greater Manchester is proving that we can address rough sleeping through partnership, investment, and the right support.”
From the same release: “…records 154 people sleeping rough on a single night in Autumn 2024, up from 149 in 2023”
People sleeping rough on one autumn night, each council
Each council's own count from MHCLG's snapshot, on one night between October and November each year. The line marks May 2017. Each chart has its own scale.
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025 (table 1) · as published
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025 (table 1) · as published
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025 (table 1) · as published
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025 (table 1) · as published
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025 (table 1) · as published
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025 (table 1) · as published
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025 (table 1) · as published
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025 (table 1) · as published
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025 (table 1) · as published
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025 (table 1) · as published
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025 (table 1) · Reference: A single night between 1 October and 30 November, autumn 2010 to autumn 2025 · Released: 26 February 2026
Households in temporary accommodation, each council
| Council | 31 March 2019 | 31 March 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester | 1,971 | 2,788 |
| Bolton | 150 | 208 |
| Bury | 40 | 241 |
| Oldham | 102 | 480 |
| Rochdale | 56 | 307 |
| Salford | 147 | 842 |
| Stockport | 76 | 207 |
| Tameside | 116 | 392 |
| Trafford | 74 | 263 |
| Wigan | 50 | 252 |
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, detailed local authority tables (table TA1) · Released: 20 August 2020 and 13 August 2026
What this doesn't tell you
- The three nations cannot be added up. Each counts under its own law, on its own dates, and Wales counts people where England and Scotland count households.
- A count is one day. Each figure is the number in temporary accommodation on that day, not how many passed through over the year.
- England’s count changed how it was collected in 2018. MHCLG says “Temporary accommodation figures remain the most consistent with historical data”, and that “any suggestions of recent trends about households in temporary accommodation should be made with caution”.
- England’s total is not the sum of its councils. MHCLG fills in estimates for councils that sent no return and rounds the total to the nearest 10.
- A rough sleeping count is one night. England’s is a single autumn night, partly estimated, and cannot show how many people slept rough over a year.
- The counts give no reasons. They say how many, not why, and they cannot say whether a policy worked.
How we worked this out
Every figure on this page is one its publisher printed, read from the file named below at a recorded position. Nothing is added, divided or estimated. A lit window only sets the drawing: each tower prints its own count beside it.
Sources
| Source | Reference | Released | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Statutory homelessness England level time series "live tables" (table TA1) England’s households in temporary accommodation at the end of each quarter, with children and by type of place; read from Statutory_Homelessness_England_Time_Series_202603.ods (sha256 27d993342341…) on 2026-10-22 | End of each quarter, 31 March 1998 to 31 March 2026 | 13 August 2026 | Dataset Data file |
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Statutory homelessness: detailed local authority level tables, January to March 2019 (table TA1) Each council’s households in temporary accommodation and households with children on 31 March of this year; read from DetailedLA_201903_revised.xlsx (sha256 203befe0f46d…) on 2026-10-22 | 31 March 2019 | 20 August 2020 | Dataset Data file |
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Statutory homelessness: detailed local authority level tables, January to March 2020 (table TA1) Each council’s households in temporary accommodation and households with children on 31 March of this year; read from Detailed_LA_202003_Revised_Fixed.ods (sha256 bb6f7e396a18…) on 2026-10-22 | 31 March 2020 | 30 April 2024 | Dataset Data file |
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Statutory homelessness: detailed local authority level tables, January to March 2021 (table TA1) Each council’s households in temporary accommodation and households with children on 31 March of this year; read from DetailedLA_202103_Revised.ods (sha256 a502477ed3fc…) on 2026-10-22 | 31 March 2021 | 28 October 2021 | Dataset Data file |
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Statutory homelessness: detailed local authority level tables, January to March 2022 (table TA1) Each council’s households in temporary accommodation and households with children on 31 March of this year; read from Detailed_LA_202203_revised.ods (sha256 2b21e95ef5c9…) on 2026-10-22 | 31 March 2022 | 24 November 2022 | Dataset Data file |
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Statutory homelessness: detailed local authority level tables, January to March 2023 (table TA1) Each council’s households in temporary accommodation and households with children on 31 March of this year; read from Detailed_LA_202303_Revised.ods (sha256 a6bf860356b8…) on 2026-10-22 | 31 March 2023 | 29 February 2024 | Dataset Data file |
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Statutory homelessness: detailed local authority level tables, January to March 2024 (table TA1) Each council’s households in temporary accommodation and households with children on 31 March of this year; read from Detailed_LA_202403.xlsx (sha256 7546bfdf48ee…) on 2026-10-22 | 31 March 2024 | 28 November 2024 | Dataset Data file |
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Statutory homelessness: detailed local authority level tables, January to March 2025 (table TA1) Each council’s households in temporary accommodation and households with children on 31 March of this year; read from Statutory_Homelessness_Detailed_Local_Authority_Data_202503_revised.ods (sha256 42172c1dd5b8…) on 2026-10-22 | 31 March 2025 | 26 February 2026 | Dataset Data file |
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Statutory homelessness: detailed local authority level tables, January to March 2026 (table TA1) Each council’s households in temporary accommodation and households with children on 31 March of this year, each council’s rate per 1,000 households and its households by type of place; read from Statutory_Homelessness_Detailed_Local_Authority_Data_202603.ods (sha256 f77eebd76145…) on 2026-10-22 | 31 March 2026 | 13 August 2026 | Dataset Data file |
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025 (table 1) England’s and each council’s count of people sleeping rough on one autumn night; read from Rough_sleeping_snapshot_in_England__autumn_2025.ods (sha256 7b7ed536d0d5…) on 2026-10-22 | A single night between 1 October and 30 November, autumn 2010 to autumn 2025 | 26 February 2026 | Dataset Data file |
Scottish Government Homelessness in Scotland: full statistical time series, main tables (tables 27 and 28) Scotland’s and each council’s households in temporary accommodation at 31 March, with children or a pregnant woman, and by type of place in 2026; read from Main+tables_Homelessness+in+Scotland+2025-26_full+time+series.xlsx (sha256 e75976cf0799…) on 2026-10-22 | 31 March 2002 to 31 March 2026 | 22 September 2026 | Dataset Data file |
Scottish Government Homelessness in Scotland: 2025-26, main tables (table 33) Each council’s households in temporary accommodation per 10,000 households, 31 March 2026; read from Main+tables_Homelessness+in+Scotland+2025-26.xlsx (sha256 5750e54c7841…) on 2026-10-22 | 31 March 2026 | 22 September 2026 | Dataset Data file |
Welsh Government Homeless individuals temporarily accommodated at the end of the period by local authority and accommodation type People in temporary accommodation at the end of each month, children under 16, and by type of place; read from download.csv (sha256 801c12c4d944…) on 2026-10-22 Not accredited official statistics. “Designation Official statistics” — Welsh Government (dataset page). Read the statement. | End of each month, April 2023 to July 2026 | 24 September 2026 | Dataset Data file |
Welsh Government Rough sleepers by local authority People sleeping rough during each month; read from download.csv (sha256 471bb999b31c…) on 2026-10-22 Not accredited official statistics. “Designation Official statistics” — Welsh Government (dataset page). Read the statement. | Each month, April 2023 to July 2026 | 24 September 2026 | Dataset Data file |
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Statutory homelessness in England: January to March 2026 MHCLG’s own description of the latest count; read from statutory-homelessness-in-england-january-to-march-2026 (sha256 5521c705bff0…) on 2026-10-22 | January to March 2026 | 13 August 2026 | Source |
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Statutory homelessness in England: quarterly technical note MHCLG’s note on reading the series across its 2018 change of collection; read from statutory-homelessness-in-england-quarterly-technical-note (sha256 33acac51c4b0…) on 2026-10-22 | October to December 2025 release | 30 April 2026 | Source |
Greater Manchester Combined Authority Ending rough sleeping by 2020: new Mayor puts words into action The Mayor’s words on his first day in office; read from ending-rough-sleeping-by-2020-new-mayor-puts-words-into-action (sha256 fde0192057f4…) on 2026-10-22 | The Mayor's first day in office | 8 May 2017 | Source |
Greater Manchester Combined Authority Greater Manchester sees bigger reductions in rough sleeping than England average – official figures The Mayor’s words, and GMCA’s count, on the autumn 2021 snapshot; read from greater-manchester-sees-bigger-reductions-in-rough-sleeping-than-england-average-official-figures (sha256 5a8160037e78…) on 2026-10-22 | The autumn 2021 rough sleeping count | 24 February 2022 | Source |
Greater Manchester Combined Authority Greater Manchester tackles long-term rough sleeping but local services face intense pressure The Mayor’s words, and GMCA’s count, on the autumn 2023 snapshot; read from greater-manchester-tackles-long-term-rough-sleeping-but-local-services-face-intense-pressure (sha256 f47257a98c29…) on 2026-10-22 | The autumn 2023 rough sleeping count | 29 February 2024 | Source |
Greater Manchester Combined Authority Greater Manchester sees slight increase in single-night rough sleeping as local services continue to face financial pressure The Mayor’s words, and GMCA’s count, on the autumn 2024 snapshot; read from greater-manchester-sees-slight-increase-in-single-night-rough-sleeping-as-local-services-continue-to-face-financial-pressure (sha256 a032fe47d6b3…) on 2026-10-22 | The autumn 2024 rough sleeping count | 28 February 2025 | Source |