Rough sleeper numbers unacceptable, says charity

A charity has described the number of people sleeping rough as "unacceptable".

HARP in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, said it sometimes identified more than 50 people who had slept rough in the city over the course of a month.

Sam Cowie, the executive director of operations at the charity, said Southend had probably been experiencing a homelessness "crisis" for "quite some time".

Southend-on-Sea City Council said it was "committed to protecting and supporting our most vulnerable residents".

Cowie told BBC Essex breakfast presenter Sonia Watson: "We see an unacceptable number of people sleeping rough every night just in Southend."

She said the number of homeless people in Southend was likely to be bigger due to hidden homelessness, which refers to people without a permanent home who live in informal or unseen arrangements.

Southend-on-Sea City Council said that while up to 60 rough sleepers had been recorded in the city over a two-week period, the average number sleeping rough each night in 2026 was 16 people.

A spokesperson said the local authority was "expanding" the supply of council and temporary homes for people.

"Our priority is ensuring those in need can access the right support at the right time," they said.

Last month, meanwhile, Colchester City Council announced a five-year strategy to run from 2026 to 2031 which aimed to prevent homelessness with early intervention before someone reached crisis point.

The project involves working with local partners such as charities, housing providers and residents that have experienced homelessness to tackle the issue, a council spokesperson has said.

The strategy is due to go before the council for approval on 21 October, after previously receiving amendments from the authority's scrutiny panel.

Paul Dundas, the Conservative leader of Colchester City Council, said it would be checking whether everyone in its 6,000 homes "or dwellings" still needed social housing.

He said about 17% of the new homes built in Colchester were affordable, but added the authority's target was 30%.

The council was encouraging people to consider moving into homes that match their circumstances, he explained, such a living in a smaller bungalow rather than a four-bed home.

"We can't force people to move and we won't, but clearly [there could be] a benefit both ways," he said.

"It is easier and cheaper if we can stop people from becoming homeless in the first place.

"The simple fact is that if you look over the last five years in Colchester, rents and mortgage with interest rates have increased far more than wages, not to mention the rest of the cost-of-living issues."

Basildon has one of the highest homelessness rates in the East of England, with one in 94 people in the town either sleeping rough or in temporary accommodation, according to the housing charity Shelter.

Basildon Borough Council said: "Basildon Council is currently accommodating over 800 households who have been affected by homelessness, with the lack of affordable accommodation being the major hurdle stopping them from moving on."

The spokesperson added: "[The council's] measures have already resulted in a reduction in the rate of households entering temporary accommodation."

Correction: An earlier version of this article claimed that 60 people slept rough in Southend at night, according to the charity HARP. The charity has informed the BBC this figure was incorrect and it has identified more than 50 people who had slept rough in the city over the course of a month.

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