Rural areas
It is logistically more difficult to carry out a count-based estimate in large rural areas than in urban areas. The area to cover is greater and there is a wide range of possible locations for people sleeping rough, from hillsides and woods to tents, caves and beach shelters. In rural areas there are more likely to be people sleeping rough on their own and they may be spread out over a large area. In such authorities, those carrying out the count cannot cover all possible sites and will have to concentrate on locations where people are most likely to be found sleeping rough, and on local knowledge. There also may be people sleeping rough on private property such as barns or on farmland that cannot be accessed without prior permission and so are excluded from the count. Where resources make it difficult to carry out a count, local authorities should consider whether an evidence-based estimate will produce a more accurate figure. A spotlight count can be used as one of the intelligence sources, as long as it happens on the night chosen for the estimate.
Urban Areas
In cities and large towns, it is easier to carry out a single night count, as often people sleeping rough will be concentrated within a relatively small area and may congregate in groups for safety/community. However, there may be other challenges. Sleep sites may be hidden or inaccessible. There are safety issues involved in entering some possible locations for rough sleeping, such as derelict buildings and building sites – support may be needed from the Fire Service. There may be people out on the streets having left late night pubs and clubs, which can make it difficult to assess the number of people actually sleeping rough. It may therefore be appropriate for the count to start later – in the early hours of the morning.
Under-representation of particular groups
There has been historic concern that a number of groups risk being under-represented in rough sleeping figures. This may include women, young people, and people who are LGBTQ+. For example, women are often hidden homeless and under-counted in rough sleeping counts. Women are particularly vulnerable to assault and exploitation when sleeping rough and, as a result, tend to use more secluded or (perceived) secure locations to sleep when living on the streets. Likewise, women may be more likely to sleep in the day to avoid the greater perceived risks of sleeping during the night.
Counters, for understandable safety reasons, are often not permitted to go into ‘risky’ areas (e.g. some dark alleyways or unlocked doorways), but these are the places in which the most vulnerable are likely to have concealed themselves. The involvement of police in street counts can be helpful in this situation, as long as any engagement is approached sensitively. An evidence-based estimate may be more likely to include under-represented groups, especially if specialist agencies are involved e.g. LGBTQ+ charities.
Under-representation of people sleeping rough on public transport
Counts are likely to miss people sleeping rough using public transport as a place to sleep. Particularly in the winter and in metropolitan areas, a significant proportion of people are likely to take refuge on buses, trains, trams or tubes for warmth. Some services have formed partnerships with providers of public transport in order to carry out outreach work so that people sleeping rough can be identified and referred into services.
Care should be taken to establish if someone sleeping on public transport definitely fits the rough sleeping definition. There is a risk that people on buses or trains will be double counted as they move across local authority boundaries, unless comprehensive cross-boundary information sharing is in place. Due to these complications, people on public transport will usually fall outside the rough sleeping definition – if you plan to include people sleeping on public transport in your count, please discuss this with Homeless Link in advance.
Squats
Squatters are excluded from the definition of rough sleeping. However, there have been cases where it is unclear whether a sleep site falls under the definition of a squat or under the definition of ‘buildings or other places not designed for human habitation’, which includes people in derelict buildings. If there is any doubt about whether a site is a squat, please speak to Homeless Link for further guidance on a case by case basis: verifiers@homelesslink.org.uk. It is not safe to enter these sites during a count so, where a rough sleeping site of this nature is identified, Coordinators will need to follow an evidence-based estimate approach (with or without a spotlight count) to include these people. The Fire Service may be able to assist with safety interventions as part of ongoing support and engagement.
Tents
People in campsites or other recreational settings, or sleeping in tents as part of an organised protest, do not fall within the definition of rough sleeping. However, a person sleeping in a tent elsewhere may meet the rough sleeping definition “actually bedded down in the open air (such as on the streets, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters or encampments)”.
Coordinators should consider what access they need in order to count people sleeping tents and whether this can be achieved safely, particularly where the tents are on private land or in woodland.
Safeguarding is a concern in relation to tents, for example around child sexual exploitation and modern slavery/trafficking, where tents may be used as a base for sex work. There are also risks around drug use if people overdose while out of sight. The risk of Covid-19 infection may be increased by close proximity and lack of ventilation in tents. Local authorities, outreach teams and police should work together outside of the count night to establish what is happening where tents are pitched – due to the safety risks and level of engagement required, this work should not be attempted during the count night.
Counters – where possible those with experience of outreach or other support work – will need to establish how many people are in a tent by calling out. The tent itself cannot be assumed to contain one or more people. If access to areas where tents are pitched is not possible, or if there are concerns about any risks posed by calling out to people in tents, coordinators should use the evidence-based estimate process (including a spotlight count if appropriate).
Charity sleep-outs
In some years, there have been charity sleep-out events taking place during the same period as the rough sleeping counts. While the sleep-out itself will fall outside the rough sleeping definition, there is the potential that this sort of event could disrupt local patterns of rough sleeping, meaning that it’s no longer a typical night. Local authorities should check in with charity partners and look out for local promotion of sleep-out events, in order to avoid clashing dates. If there is an unavoidable clash, the count Quality Assurance Verifier will need additional information about the sleep-out (especially its location in relation to rough sleeping sites) before they can verify if it was still a typical night.
Cars, derelict boats and other places not designed for human habitation
The definition of rough sleeping includes: “People in buildings or other places not designed for human habitation (such as stairwells, barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations, or bashes).” A ‘bash’ or ‘bender’ is a makeshift shelter structure e.g. wood and tarpaulins, often found in woods or alongside canal towpaths. A count-based estimate might not be the best way to find people sleeping rough in these locations, for example if someone parks in different locations each night or if it isn’t safe to access a derelict boat or a barn. coordinators should use local intelligence to decide whether an evidence-based estimate (including a spotlight count as appropriate) would be more accurate by including people in these locations.
As with squats (see above), if coordinators have any questions about whether a site meets this part of the definition, please contact Homeless Link for clarification on a case-by-case basis: verifiers@homelesslink.org.uk