Rough sleeping has hit a record high, official figures show.

4,793 people were sleeping rough on a single night last autumn, the highest number ever recorded. This is an increase of 96 per cent since 2021, and 171 per cent since 2010.

Building on the research in 2025 funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation, analysis of the figures by cross-party think tank the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) found monthly totals to be even higher than the nightly counts, with over 9,000 people seen sleeping rough in October and in November. The number of people sleeping rough long-term has also risen, with long-term rough sleepers now the largest group sleeping rough, a sign of Britain’s entrenched homelessness crisis.

In December, the government published its homelessness strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness, which sets a new target to halve long-term rough sleeping. But the CSJ argues that this pledge is underpowered and urges ministers to change course and roll out the successful Housing First model across England, which is proven to break the cycle of rough sleeping for the vast majority of participants.

Download the Rough Sleeping Tracker on the Centre for Social Justice website here.

Read more about Housing First.

Josh Nicholson, Head of Housing and Communities at the Centre for Social Justice, said:

“Rough sleeping has been out of control for too long and more of the same won’t cut it. Ministers still have time to act, by prioritising proven interventions like Housing First, and to scale them up before it’s too late.”

Bob Blackman MP, Co-Chair of the APPG for Ending Homelessness and author of the 2017 Homelessness Reduction Act, said:

“The levels of rough sleeping revealed today are a national disgrace and undermine any ambition this government might have to end rough sleeping for good. The CSJ’s analysis shows a system trapped in crisis and a state unable to keep pace with the pressures it faces.”

A new University of Manchester evaluation shows Cradle to Career is driving life‑changing impact in North Birkenhead, proving the power of a place‑based approach in one of the region’s most deprived areas. Initiated by Steve Morgan Foundation and delivered by Right to Succeed, the programme launched in 2021 in partnership Wirral Council, National Lottery Community Fund, SHINE Trust and the UBS Optimus Foundation.
 
Impact and key findings

·         Professionals report a major shift in thinking, with barriers between organisations removed.
·         Schools, community organisations and services have formed strong new partnerships.
·         A 15‑month reading age gap for 8–16 year olds has been closed.
·         Care‑entry decisions have fallen dramatically—from 7–8 per week to 7–8 per year.
·         Uptake of the 30‑hour childcare offer has surged.
·         North Birkenhead has moved from the borough’s highest‑need area to the fourth‑highest.
·         School attendance across participating settings is up by an average of 16%, bucking national post‑pandemic trends.
·         SEND pupils’ reading ability has risen by the equivalent of half a GCSE grade.

Graeme Duncan, CEO of Right to Succeed, said:
“The University of Manchester’s evaluation reflects what we have seen on the ground – that place-based, community-led action can produce life-changing outcomes for children and families. In this next year, we will start the process of handing over the project to the community; we look forward to working with the locally-owned organisation that takes that on to build on C2C’s success to date.”
 
SMF’s Liam Eaglestone added:
“At the Steve Morgan Foundation, we are committed to investing in initiatives that drive meaningful system change. We are delighted with the impact that C2C has achieved to date and the learning that will strengthen long term sustainability across the Liverpool City Region.”
 
Professor Kirstin Kerr, University of Manchester, continued:
“The C2C model has shifted how the organisations and services in a community work together and created powerful insights into achieving place-based change in the UK.”

More than 70 Together Type 1 Young Leaders from across the UK met in Birmingham to take part in a Dragon’s Den competition and pitch ideas for Together Type 1 events in 2026.

The popular event saw Together Type 1 Young Leaders from across the UK come together for a Dragon’s Den style competition, where they pitched ideas for meaningful events that the Together Type 1 programme could put on in 2026. The assembled Young Leaders also took inspiration from Ru Paul’s Drag Race star SALLY (TM), who created a special diabetes-themed outfit for the event. SALLY talked about their own experience of living with diabetes, some regrets and some successes, and challenged the Young Leaders to follow their dreams.

The panel of Dragons included SALLY, Liam Eaglestone, CEO of the Steve Morgan Foundation, and staff from Diabetes UK. The Dragons heard a range of innovative event ideas, from a type 1 retreat weekend, to the diabetes-lympics!

Events for young people living with type 1 diabetes

“We will be taking many of these exciting ideas forward into our planning for next year,” said Iain French-Wilkie, Type 1 Services Programme Manager and Dragon.

“We wanted to create a mix of events that are meaningful for young people living with type 1 and realised that our Young Leader community is perfectly placed to help us develop and deliver them.”

Together Type 1 is a peer support and empowerment programme developed and delivered by Diabetes UK and funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation. The community is for anyone aged 11-25 living with type 1 diabetes and encourages members to make new friends, learn new skills and build their confidence. 

Watch the video below to hear from attendees and gain an insight into the event

Scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding how type 1 diabetes (T1D) affects young children, paving the way for new strategies to prevent or delay T1D and, in time, contribute to a cure. 

The study was funded through our £50m Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge, a unique partnership between ourselves, Diabetes UK and Breakthrough T1D.

In this groundbreaking research, published in Science Advances, ahead of World Diabetes Day on November 14, Dr Sarah Richardson and her team discovered that T1D can be more aggressive in young children, because of the size of the clusters of insulin-producing cells at the point of diagnosis.

These insights pave the way for new, targeted treatments designed specifically for young children who are living with T1D, or at risk of developing the condition.

 Gareth and Joanne Nye’s daughter, Gracie, from Merseyside, was diagnosed with T1D at just 23 months old. Gareth said: 

“Gracie’s diagnosis was traumatic for our whole family. In less than 48 hours she went from being a toddler with what we thought was a slight cold, to lying unconscious in a hospital bed with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), close to death. We lived in constant fear, setting alarms every two hours to finger prick her at night, worrying if she’d still be with us in the morning.

“Research like this, and the possibilities it holds, will be vital in reducing the number of children diagnosed in critical care, like Gracie. It gives us confidence that one day she could be free from her condition – and that fewer parents and children will have to go through this same experience.”

Steve Morgan said: “We created the Grand Challenge partnership to super-charge research into new treatments and a cure for T1D. We know firsthand that a T1D diagnosis is life changing for a child and their family. We hope this breakthrough research makes a positive difference for many people in the future.” 

Find out more

Read the full story on the Grand Challenge website
here, and hear below from one of the researchers behind this important breakthrough:

The Steve Morgan Foundation has awarded further multi-million pound grant funding to the Liverpool City Region’s Cradle to Career partnership, enabling thousands of children, young people and families to change their lives for good.

Cradle to Career is an award-winning, ambitious cross-sector collaboration initiated in 2019 by the Steve Morgan Foundation and led by Right to Succeed. Starting out in North Birkenhead, the programme has united the worlds of philanthropy, charity and public services to provide practical and life-changing support.

Our new long-term funding commitment will see us provide a further £5.65m over the next six years to tackle the root issues of social disadvantage that negatively impact the life chances of children, young people and families.

Steve Morgan CBE, founder and chairman of the Steve Morgan Foundation said:

“We’re very proud of Cradle to Career, it has had a brilliant impact so far, improving children’s reading, reducing social care admissions, and increasing employment opportunities.”

Graeme Duncan, Chief Executive at Right to Succeed said:

“We are so grateful to the Steve Morgan Foundation for the instigation and incredible support of Liverpool City Region Cradle to Career. It is an honour for us as a charity to be able to serve these amazing communities and we can’t wait to see what more they can achieve.”

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region added:

“Cradle to Career is a fantastic example of what we can achieve when local people, partners, and funders come together behind a shared ambition to give every child the best possible start in life. It’s helping to break down barriers, raise aspirations, and build stronger, fairer communities across our region.”

The success of the Cradle to Career partnership to date has also been based on ongoing financial support from SHINE, UBS Optimus Foundation, LCRCA and the National Lottery Community Fund.

The Steve Morgan Foundation has announced a three-year partnership with Wrexham AFC Foundation to scale up its community-based programmes that tackle anti-social behaviour, increase employment prospects, and improve declining youth facilities.

We are investing £300,000 in Wrexham AFC Foundation over the next three years, so it can expand its Street Dragons and Young Leaders programmes, invest in community pitch regeneration, and create safer spaces for young people to thrive. 

The partnership builds on our long-term strategic support for both Everton in the Community and the Liverpool FC Foundation.

“We know things are really tough right now for a lot of people and communities across our region.” Steve Morgan explains.

“That’s why the Steve Morgan Foundation is backing organisations that make a real, lasting difference. We understand first-hand the positive influence of football in engaging young people and we are proud to be working with the ambitious and committed team at Wrexham AFC Foundation to help change lives for the better.”

With our backing, Wrexham AFC Foundation aims to build a generation equipped with life, leadership, and teamwork skills through the provision of regular ‘Street Dragons’ football and sports sessions to reduce anti-social behaviour, delivering its youth leadership programme to improve wellbeing and boost confidence, and revitalising community spaces to turn derelict pitches into safe, active hubs.

Jamie Edwards, Head of Wrexham AFC Foundation, comments:

“At Wrexham AFC Foundation we are determined that the team’s ongoing success is mirrored by our positive impact within the community and having the support of the Steve Morgan Foundation will be an absolute game-changer for us. We are fully aligned to the Steve Morgan Foundation’s unwavering focus on tackling the root issues of social disadvantage and this grant will enable us to provide long-term investment in people, pitches and partnerships in our town, and beyond.”

Watch Steve Morgan’s pitchside interview here: