Three Sussex towns named in top 10 for homelessness

Three Sussex towns have been named in England's top 10 for highest rates of homelessness outside of London.

In its latest annual report, charity Shelter estimates there were over 354,000 people without permanent accomodation across the country on any given night in 2024.

That's about 1 in every 160 people.

Hastings, Brighton and Hove, and Crawley all feature in the top 10 highest rates of homelessness outside of the capital.

The report suggests that 1 in 64 people in Hastings are homeless, with 1,431 people, including 665 children, living without a permanent home.

This makes it the 21st highest rate of homelessness in the country.

Brighton and Hove has an estimated 3,580 homeless people, including 1,411 children.

This means 1 in 77 people are homeless, ranking it 29th highest in the country.

In Crawley, it's estimated that 1 in 99 people are homeless, ranking it 33rd highest in England.

There are 1,299 homeless people in the town, including 618 children.

"Homelessness in England is at a record high and is continuing to rise", according to the report.

It goes on to say: "Across the country expensive, damp, crumbling homes are making people sick and holding them back."

The report claims that true figures of homelessness are likely to be significantly higher than records show.

It says: "We do not attempt to include the various forms of hidden or unofficial homelessness, such as sofa-surfing, or overcrowded households, and stick to what could be termed as ‘recorded homelessness’.

"Wider definitions of homelessness would result in far more people being counted. Therefore, these figures are likely to be an underestimate of the true scale of homelessness."