‘DEEPLY concerning’ new figures have revealed rough sleeping in Rugby more than tripled last year.
The number of rough sleepers in the town rose from four to 13 people from 2023 to 2024, according to figures released by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The rise in Rugby reflects a wider trend across Warwickshire, where rough sleeping has more than doubled overall – from 23 to 47 people.
The data was collected as part of the government’s Rough Sleeping Snapshot, which counts the number of people sleeping rough during a single night in October.
Homelessness charity Emmaus Coventry & Warwickshire has expressed concern over the sharp rise – also warning that these figures likely underestimate the true scale of homelessness in the area.
The charity’s director Falishia Channer said: “These figures are deeply concerning and reflect what we’re seeing locally – more people struggling to find a stable home. We’ve seen rough sleeping increase in recent years, and more people than ever are now at risk.”
Falishia added: “These statistics are just the tip of the iceberg. Many people experiencing homelessness are hidden – sofa surfing, staying in temporary accommodation, or living in unsafe conditions just to avoid the streets. They don’t appear in these figures, but they still need urgent support.”
She called for long-term solutions such as more investment in homelessness services and social housing.
A Rugby Borough Council (RBC) spokesperson said the figures were based on data collected on a single night in October, adding: “We currently have nine verified rough sleepers in the borough and we’re working to support the move back into accommodation.
“Support packages can include providing emergency accommodation, mental health support and referral to addiction services, and we work collaboratively with local organisations such as Hope4 and P3 to deliver this support.
“The council has also launched outreach programmes to identify individuals at risk of homelessness, so we can offer early support to stop a housing problem becoming a crisis.
“Following a recent increase in Government funding via the Homelessness Prevention Grant, we have set our plans to enhance and expand this work in our Homelessness Strategy and Action Plan 2025-2029, set to be considered at a meeting of full council later this month.”
The council’s housing and communities spokesperson Coun Claire Edwards added: “We have reviewed the state of our housing stock, are making improvements to living conditions and reducing the number of empty properties so we can house more people in the short term.
“To house more people in the long term, we are building more homes and will bring forward more proposals.”
The town’s MP John Slinger said the government’s urgent homelessness funding had been increased sixfold this year, with RBC receiving an extra £36,541.
He added: “The additional funding provides more resources for workers on the frontline who provide essential services to get rough sleepers off the street and into secure housing, getting more homeless families out of temporary accommodation and helping the council to be better equipped for vital preventative work, including mediation with landlords or families to prevent evictions, help find new homes, and deposits to access private renting.”
