The number of rough sleepers in Buckinghamshire has increased since 2021, a new investigation reveals.
Figures obtained by Advice.co.uk found Buckinghamshire Council logged an average of 17 rough sleepers on a single night over the past year.
In 2021, the council counted three rough sleepers on a single night.
This rose to 16 in 2022, the second-highest number of rough sleepers over a three-year period.
The rise in rough sleeping has been attributed to increasing poverty, unemployment, and a lack of affordable housing.
Rough sleeping, one of the most visible forms of homelessness, includes sleeping outdoors or in places not meant for habitation, such as cars, doorways, and abandoned buildings.
Rough sleepers often face vulnerabilities, including complex physical and mental health issues like addiction.
The average age of death for a male rough sleeper in 2018 was 44, and 42 for women.
The rising cost of rent and the cost of living crisis has also pushed more people to seek council help, with authorities struggling to fund temporary accommodation.
The charity Riverside reported a lack of significant investment in hostels since 2011, with bed spaces falling by nearly a quarter between 2010 and 2022.
The latest government statistics show a more than 10 per cent increase in households threatened with homelessness or losing their home in 2023-24 compared to the previous year.
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