A RECORD 1,611 homeless people died in the UK in 2024, according to figures compiled by the Museum of Homelessness.
The total, based on data from coroners, media, families and Freedom of Information requests, represents a 9 per cent rise from the previous year.
Most deaths were linked to suicide or drugs, with substances like spice and nitazenes cited as increasingly lethal, BBC reported. The government no longer publishes official data on homeless deaths.
Matthew Turtle, director of the Museum of Homelessness, said the figures show “how homeless people continue to be deeply failed.” Homelessness minister Alison McGovern called the numbers “heartbreaking” and said the government was accelerating efforts to tackle the causes of homelessness.
Among the deaths was Anthony Marks, 51, who died after being assaulted near London’s King’s Cross station. Four people have been charged over his death.
Three quarters of those who died were men, and two-thirds were living in temporary or supported accommodation. Eleven were children, though officials said the true number may be higher.
England recorded 1,142 deaths, up 16 per cent from 2023. Numbers more than doubled in Nottingham and Exeter. Deaths rose by over a third in Northern Ireland but fell in Scotland by 18 per cent.
Mr Turtle said the deaths highlight “the lack of leadership on homelessness and housing,” while McGovern said “every loss of a life, especially the death of a child, is an abject failure that cannot be tolerated.”
