According to government figures the numbers of people classified as being homeless by local authorities has increased 17% during the last year, and there are worries that the worst may still be come. During the second quarter of this year, the Department for Communities and Local Government said local authorities accepted 11,820 homeless families, compared with 9,590 during the second quarter in 2010. It looks as if it could become a serious problem as this is the first year-on-year increase in homeless figures  is for five years.

The housing minister, Grant Shapps has said homelessness is at an historic low, but points out that we are still recovering from the worst recession for a generation, and that many households are facing difficulty. He has urged anyone facing financial difficulty, or who risks losing their homes to seek help, and has said that everything possible should be done to help people avoid becoming homeless. However the homelessness charity Crisis points out recent changes to the welfare state and the continuing economic uncertainty could mean that homelessness figures increase substantially in the near future.

It was recently announced that local authorities will be able to house the homeless in caravans and houseboats from next year onwards, even though it's not expected that many will offer this type of housing. At the moment local authorities can only offer homeless people shelter in social housing, but under the terms of the new bill homeless will not be able to refuse any private accommodation offered to them by the authorities.