Dying Homeless Project reports 1,720 people – including 51 children – died while homeless in 2025
Independent research by Museum of Homelessness recorded 10,000 people in the UK who died while still homeless since 2017
The Wallich has worked with the Museum of Homelessness to share when people supported by the charity have passed away, helping to shine a light on the number of people affected in Wales.
The findings
- 1,720 people died while homeless in 2025 – 51 of them were children.
- The Dying Homeless Project found that UK deaths rose 6.8% in 2025 vs the previous year.
- More than 30% of the deaths in 2025 were either on the streets or in temporary accommodation.
- The study found that 1 in 10 deaths were missing from local authority records.
- ‘Deaths of Despair’ caused by drugs, alcohol or suicide are the most common (52%).
- The Museum of Homelessness study approach found more people than the ONS methodology of recording deaths while homeless statistics.
Jamie-Lee Cole, Strategic Communications Lead for The Wallich, said
“It’s devastating, and a national shame, that such a huge number of adults are losing their lives during a period of high stress and instability. And there are no words to describe the gravity of how many children were recorded in this investigation. We have a duty to ensure every child has a safe home and protect them from harm.
“Death by drugs, alcohol and suicide are completely preventable with the right support. Improving mental health provision and honest substance use policy that focuses on reducing harm – instead of criminalisation – saves lives.
“While people are stuck in the limbo of homelessness, we have to better look after people while they go through that trauma – it’s clear from the Dying Homeless Project that their lives depend on it.”
Children who died while homeless
One of the most significant new findings concerns children.
Working with the National Child Mortality Database, the project identified 51 children who died whilst living in temporary accommodation during 2025, the highest number ever reported through the Dying Homeless Project.
Only seven of those children were known through local authority homelessness reporting routes ,which raises serious concerns about how local authorities departments are working together to safeguard homeless children.
Sixty-three per cent of the children who died were under one year old.
The Museum of Homelessness investigation recommends that local authority housing departments should be required to record all child deaths occurring in temporary accommodation and publish learning on how future deaths can be prevented.
Remembering the lost
Behind every statistic is a person whose life was cut short while experiencing homelessness, often in circumstances linked to poverty, trauma, poor health, inadequate accommodation, social isolation and failures of support systems.
Each person should be remembered with compassion and love.
The Museum of Homelessness will be hosting a vigil opposite Downing Street on 15 October where he names of those known will be read out.
The 2025 findings are released at a moment when national political attention is increasingly focused on homelessness and rough sleeping. We hope these findings are a spur to more action. The investigation highlights the human consequences of systemic failure, telling the stories of deaths that could have been prevented if long-term investment in quality housing, healthcare and support had been prioritised.
Help and support for people experiencing homelessness
If you’re experiencing homelessness and struggling to see what to do next, asking for help from the services that can help you is the first step.
Visit our ‘Help and Advice’ page for more information.
- Tell your local council
- Contact a local The Wallich service in your area
- Contact Shelter Cymru for advice
- Call Samaritans for mental health support