Grim Reality: Greater Manchester's Streets Claim a Homeless Life Every Week

As the government announces plans to spend over £400 million to assist rough sleepers this winter, new official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal a somber reality: an estimated 974 people experiencing homelessness died across England and Wales in 2025. This equates to an average of nearly three deaths per day and represents a significant 77 percent increase from the 565 deaths recorded in 2015. While the ONS figures provide a stark picture, a leading charity suggests the actual number could be substantially higher.

Greater Manchester, in particular, saw a tragic increase, recording an estimated 52 deaths of people experiencing homelessness in 2025 – an average of one every week and the highest annual figure ever recorded for the city region. Manchester city itself accounted for the largest portion of these deaths with 20, marking an increase from 15 in 2024 and approaching the peak of 21 seen in 2019. Stockport followed with seven deaths. Other boroughs also reported fatalities: five each in Rochdale, Tameside, and Wigan; four in Bury; two each in Oldham and Salford; and one each in Bolton and Trafford.

The trend in Greater Manchester highlights a concerning rise over the years. In 2013, 19 homeless deaths were recorded by the ONS in the region, including eight in Manchester. This figure surged to 44 deaths across the region by 2017. While there was a temporary reduction to 27 deaths in both 2020 and 2021, the numbers climbed again to a previous peak of 47 in 2022, before a brief fall in 2023 and 2024, culminating in the new peak of 52 in 2025. Nationally, males constituted the majority of deaths, with 833 compared to 141 females. Manchester's figure of 20 deaths in 2025 is comparable to Brighton and Hove and Southampton, though other cities like Birmingham (34), Cardiff (26), Liverpool (22), and Bristol (21) recorded higher numbers.

Coun Tracey Rawlins, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, acknowledged the severity of the situation, stating that these figures illustrate a national and Greater Manchester-wide challenge. She noted that large cities like Manchester naturally attract people from other areas, intensifying the problem. Emphasizing the individual tragedy behind each statistic, Coun Rawlins highlighted the direct and dramatic negative impact of sleeping rough on health, often intertwined with complex issues like addiction or poor mental health. The council's efforts focus on rapidly moving people off the streets and providing sustained support, including outreach teams, partnerships, and connections to GP and medical services. Long-term structural issues, such as delivering more affordable housing and addressing the legacies of austerity, are also being tackled through local, regional, and national collaborations involving the Government, Greater Manchester Mayor, and local councils.

In response to the escalating crisis, Andy Burnham's government announced a £442 million package in August to help rough sleepers ahead of Christmas, with £121 million distributed in the first round. Greater Manchester is set to receive £6.1 million from this initial funding, intended to provide immediate accommodation and practical support. The government's National Plan to End Homelessness further aims to prevent homelessness and eliminate the use of B&B accommodation for families, except in emergencies, by the end of the current Parliament. The ONS classifies a person as homeless if information at death registration indicates they were sleeping rough or using emergency/temporary accommodation around the time of death.

However, the Museum of Homelessness challenges the official narrative, asserting that simply moving people off the streets is an insufficient solution and that the true number of homeless deaths is likely much higher. Their research suggests over 10,000 homeless individuals have died since 2017, significantly more than the ONS estimate of 6,600 for the same period. Their 'Dying Homeless Project' recorded 1,720 homeless deaths in 2025, including 51 children, which is 746 more than the official figures. This project utilizes diverse sources such as coroners’ inquiries, media reports, family testimony, and Freedom of Information requests to compile its data. A key discrepancy also lies in the reported causes of death; the Museum of Homelessness found 52 percent of deaths were related to drugs, alcohol, or suicide, while ONS figures suggest 'accidents' as the most common cause at 39 percent.

Jess Turtle, Director of the Museum of Homelessness, criticized the practice of placing people in