The number of homeless people who died across Wales leaped last year, according to research by a social justice group. The Museum of Homelessness has been running the Dying Homeless Project since 2019 and said it uses information from coroners’ enquiries, media coverage, family testimony and freedom of information requests to verify details of each case.
It said the aim is to honour and remember people “who would so often be forgotten”. According to its research, the group said deaths in Wales rose by 27% in 2022 compared to 2021. In 2020, 63 homeless deaths were recorded in Wales, which fell to 60 in 2021 and jumped to 76 in 2022.
The project is calling for Welsh Government action to save lives of the country's most vulnerable people. Co-director Jess Turtle said: “Wales is in the midst of a desperate housing crisis with all forms of homelessness on the rise and perhaps most appallingly significant rates of child homelessness.
“Our findings show that the system is letting the most vulnerable Welsh citizens down, with fatal results. We urge the Welsh Government to act to prevent further loss of life and we support the call from Welsh campaigners for the right to adequate housing in Wales – currently the focus of a Senedd inquiry – to be enshrined in law.”
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The Museum of Homelessness said across the UK 1,313 homeless people died in 2022. This is up by 85% since its work began four years ago. Deaths in England rose 22% on 2021 to 875 in 2022, while Scotland recorded a 15% decrease on 2021, with 157 fatalities in 2022.
The number of deaths in Northern Ireland fell by more than a third to 205 but remains almost double the level seen in 2020. Researchers said the true numbers are likely to be higher as some local authorities have not contributed to the project over the last two years.
Deaths related to drug and alcohol use and overdoses are the highest category after physical health conditions. In particular, the research found. Some 24 drug related and overdose deaths were of people living on the streets and who had no fixed abode. However, they added that the vast majority of overall deaths took place after the person was placed in some form of homelessness accommodation rather than when rough sleeping.
Museum of Homelessness director Matt Turtle called for “far stronger policy and investment” in order to deal with the “appalling loss of life” in the UK. He said: "A toxic cocktail of cuts, criminalisation and crackdowns is making life even harder for the UK’s most vulnerable people. Just tinkering around the edges as the government plans, won’t fix the damage of the last 12 years.
"Far stronger policy and investment are needed to deal with the appalling loss of life. With a heavy heart we expect to report more of the same in 2024, but with our colleagues we will continue to do what we can to save lives.”
Separately, the project has for the first time obtained figures suggesting the number of deaths that occurred in exempt accommodation – a type of supported housing for residents with specific needs that is exempt from local caps on housing benefit. More people died in exempt accommodation in Manchester (109 deaths) than the number of deaths recorded in the whole of Wales. Mr Turtle said:“The fact that so many people continue to die in unregulated, taxpayer funded accommodation run by rogue landlords is a disgrace.”
A Welsh Government Spokesperson said:“Every death is a tragedy and we are investing over £210m in homelessness and providing support at the earliest opportunity, focusing on prevention, and ensuring people find suitable homes. These are all part of our long-term goal to ending homelessness in Wales.”
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