Homelessness deaths almost double in a year

The number of people who have died while homeless in a county has almost doubled in a year, new data has found.

Research by the Museum of Homelessness has revealed that nine people died in Norfolk last year compared with five in 2023, with the average age being 43.

Nationally, the figure has reached 1,611, which includes 11 children, and represents an increase of 9% overall, while in the East of England there were 96 deaths – a 41% rise.

Campaigners have described the deaths as "unforgivable" and called on the government and local authorities to do more to tackle a rising tide of homelessness.

Dr Jan Sheldon, chief executive of Norwich homelessness charity St Martins Trust, said the cost-of-living crisis, government failings and job losses were among the reasons why more people were sleeping rough - and losing their lives.

"The rise in the number of deaths on the streets is a failure of successive governments not to adequately address the root," she said.

"In Norwich we have seen an increase in the number of people sleeping rough. This is replicated across Norfolk.

"It's unforgivable – people should not be dying on our streets in 2025."

The deaths reported in Norfolk during 2024 occurred in Norwich, Great Yarmouth, west Norfolk, south Norfolk, and north Norfolk, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Three people were reported as having died while sleeping rough on the streets, while the other deaths occurred while they were in temporary accommodation.

Of the 96 deaths across the region in 2024 – up from 68 in 2023 – 34% were due to physical health problems, 44% were drugs or alcohol related, and 11% were recorded as suicide.

"If the root causes of homelessness are not addressed at central government level quickly we can only expect the number of deaths on our streets to increase," added Dr Sheldon.

In recent years, several deaths of homeless people have rocked the county, including Marie Cattermole, 32, who was found unresponsive in Norwich in 2022.

Malcolm Livingstone, a military veteran who served as a pallbearer for Princess Diana, was also found dead outside a church in King's Lynn.

And, in Great Yarmouth, Nigel Mazs, 59, was killed after being kicked in the head during an argument with another man.

The Museum of Homelessness - a charity based in north London - has described its latest findings as "deeply troubling".

It blamed the rise on a "failure to build genuinely affordable housing, to invest in accessible community-based mental health services and to act on clear evidence around overdose prevention".

Homelessness Minister Alison McGovern said deaths must be seen as an "abject failure that cannot be tolerated" or accepted as normal.

"These figures are heartbreaking," she said.

"Every loss of a life, especially the death of a child, is an abject failure that cannot be tolerated.

"Every person deserves a safe place to call home, which is why we are accelerating efforts to tackle the root causes of homelessness, expanding access to safe accommodation whilst also strengthening support services."