The U.K. saw a 9% spike in deaths among homeless people, including 11 children, in the past year, a group monitoring the issue reported Wednesday.
The Museum of Homelessness said its research suggested at least 1,611 deaths in 2024 of people experiencing homelessness. This was up from 1,474 deaths in 2023 and 1,313 deaths in 2022.
The organization has been running the Dying Homeless Project since 2019 and gathers its data each year through freedom of information requests, coroner inquests and memorials submitted by bereaved family members.
While rough sleeping is most associated with homelessness, living in temporary accommodation such as bed and breakfasts, hostels, or other short-term housing organized by a local authority is also a form of homelessness.
According to the research, there were 11 children, those aged younger than 18, included in the data for last year, of which four were babies who had not yet reached their first birthday.
Four others were aged between 1 and 9, and two children were aged between 15 and 17, while another's age was unknown.
The researchers said it is likely these figures are lower than the true scale of child deaths and homelessness, as some local authorities might only record when the person who has applied to their local council for homelessness help dies in temporary accommodation, rather than all the members of their family.
The number of children who died in 2024 was up from four in 2023.
Homelessness Minister Alison McGovern said such deaths must be seen as an "abject failure that cannot be tolerated."
The most recent government figures, published in July, showed the number of households in temporary accommodation in England had climbed to a new record high of 131,140 at the end of March 2025.
The Museum of Homelessness said overall, 44% of all the deaths in their data were drug and alcohol-related.
Project director, Matthew Turtle, said their data "shows how homeless people continue to be deeply failed."
He added: "We are calling for urgent action from the Government to alleviate this crisis."
Gill Taylor, also from the project, said: "With heavy hearts, we report the deaths of 1,611 people who died whilst homeless in 2024."
"Whilst it is positive that local authorities and safeguarding adult boards appear to be taking the issue more seriously, with better reporting and evidence of improved local partnership working to prevent deaths, turning the tide on this enormous loss of life needs more than better counting."
"We remember with love all those who died and continue our work in solidarity with bereaved loved ones and the homeless community."
Francesca Albanese, from the Crisis charity, described the figures as "heartbreaking" and said they "must drive home the need for the Westminster Government to urgently come forward with an ambitious strategy to end homelessness."
