What it means: councils count or estimate everyone sleeping rough in their area on one typical night each October or November. It is the longest-running measure, though it misses people who move around or stay hidden. The government's target, set in December 2025, is to halve the number of people sleeping rough long-term by the end of this parliament. That is measured with newer monthly figures that are not on this page yet, so this card compares with a year earlier instead.

Source: MHCLG, rough sleeping snapshot in England, table 1; target from A national plan to end homelessness.