Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 22 January 2026. It was answered by Alison McGovern (Labour) on Friday, 13 February 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Homelessness: Health Services

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people are currently accessing addiction support services who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in a) Eastbourne b) East Sussex c) Sussex.

Answer

NHS England publishes data at a national level on accommodation status for people in contact with mental health services. Using accommodation types associated with homelessness, including rough sleeper, squatting, sofa surfing, staying with friends or family as a short‑term guest, bed and breakfast accommodation to prevent or relieve homelessness, sleeping in a night shelter, hostel to prevent or relieve homelessness, and temporary housing to prevent or relieve homelessness, the dataset at the end of November 2025 shows around 21,429 people fall into these groups out of 2,088,415 people in contact with services nationally (approximately 1.03%).

78% of all service users have an ‘unknown’ recorded accommodation status, meaning the true number experiencing homelessness while accessing mental health services may be higher.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
107211
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Health services Homelessness Sussex Addictions
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk