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In London, homelessness has reached unprecedented levels in 2024–25. A record 13,231 individuals slept rough between April 2024 and March 2025, a 10% increase year-over-year and nearly two-thirds higher than a decade ago. More than 3,000 of these people experienced persistent rough sleeping for two consecutive years, an alarming 27% rise from 2023/24. This acute crisis reflects a deeper housing emergency: London boroughs now arrange temporary accommodation for over 183,000 people, including nearly 90,000 children, which equates to at least 1 in 50 Londoners living without a permanent home.

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At the same time, food insecurity and material deprivation are surging across the UK. In 2024, 7.5 million people (11% of the population) faced food poverty, including 33% of children in relative poverty, many went without basic necessities like meals, clothing, or heating. Emergency food parcel usage totalled 2.9 million in 2024–25, showing the scale of everyday hardship.

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For families living on low incomes, the picture is equally stark. Benefit-supported households experienced high levels of food insecurity, around 6% used food banks in the past month, and 30% over the past year. Rising housing costs further exacerbate financial instability, UK low- to middle-income families are among the worst off in the OECD due to rent burdens, leaving them an average of £2,300 worse off annually than their European counterparts.

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These interconnected crises like homelessness, food poverty, housing insecurity, and austerity, affect real people: parents, children, refugees, and seniors struggling to meet everyday needs. At GROAD CIC, your involvement makes a tangible difference. Your support helps us redistribute essential items, offer life bags to rough sleepers, empower refugee families, and rebuild dignity one person at a time. Together, we can shift the curve away from crisis and toward compassion, resilience, and sustainability.

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