Homelessness Data
The WMCA does not have any statutory responsibility for homelessness, but through its Homelessness Taskforce works closely with Local Authorities and wider partners in the region to help add value to their work on preventing and relieving homelessness. Part of that work focuses on using two main sources of data to promote shared understanding of the local issues and to develop regional approaches.
There are two main sources of publicly available data that we use.
Statutory Homelessness Data (H-CLIC)
Statutory homelessness data is collected by all Local Authorities in England with responsibilities under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 (HRA). This data is often referred to as H-CLIC data which stands for Homelessness Case Level Information Collection. Local Authorities collect detailed, case-level information on all homelessness applications, regardless of the outcome, to monitor and improve services under the HRA.
This data is reported to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on a monthly basis. It provides critical information about homelessness in England and is published by MHCLG using comprehensive data tables and digests of the data on a quarterly and annual basis.
We use the data to monitor changes in the number and characteristics of households approaching their Local Authority as potentially homeless, as well as to identify trends in homelessness and homelessness outcomes over time and across the region. We also use it to compare the situation in the WMCA area with other regions and areas of England.
Since 2024 we have undertaken WMCA-level analysis of this data.
Annual Analysis
Statutory Homelessness Data April 2023 – March 2024
Quarterly Analysis
Statutory Homelessness Data January – March 2024
Statutory Homelessness Data April – June 2024
Statutory Homelessness Data July – September 2024
Rough Sleeping Data
Since 2010, all Local Authorities with responsibility for Homelessness across England have undertaken an annual autumn snapshot of rough sleeping.
The annual rough sleeping snapshot provides information about the number of people sleeping rough on a single night between 1 October and 30 November each year.
These statistics provide a way of estimating the number of people sleeping rough across England on a single night and assessing changes and trends over time.
The most recent snapshot data was published on 27th February 2025 for counts undertaken in autumn 2024.
Since 2023 we have undertaken WMCA-level analysis of this data.
Annual Rough Sleeping Snapshot 2023
Annual Rough Sleeping Snapshot 2024