Homelessness: UK's Approach and Lessons for Switzerland
UK Aims to Combat Homelessness; What Can Switzerland Learn?
Homelessness is less visible in Switzerland than in many major European cities. However, this does not mean the problem is minor. A recent development in the UK raises a question relevant to Switzerland: What happens when housing becomes scarce and expensive, and people can no longer afford their homes?
Burnham Aims to Combat Homelessness by Christmas
New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has set an ambitious goal. People sleeping on the streets and needing help should find a way off them by Christmas. The government is providing a £442 million package for this initiative.
Burnham is not solely relying on emergency shelters. The government intends to move people into stable housing long-term, while expanding support for particularly vulnerable individuals.
However, current figures illustrate the challenge of this undertaking.
The Problem is Rising Again in England
According to official UK figures, an estimated 8,748 people slept rough in England at some point during June 2026. This was 16 more individuals than in June 2025, marking a record for that month.
Considering a single night, approximately 3,980 people were counted in June 2026. This represented a three percent increase compared to the previous year.
These figures also show why a single snapshot only partially reflects the problem. More than twice as many people were on the streets at least temporarily during the month than were recorded on a single specific day.
The Problem Under a Roof Is Even Larger
Another figure is particularly revealing: At the end of March 2026, 135,580 households were living in temporary accommodation in England. This marked a new peak. This included 86,460 households with children.
This highlights an important distinction: Homelessness does not solely consist of people visibly sleeping on the streets. Many affected individuals temporarily live in emergency shelters, hotels, or other transitional solutions.
The actual problem can therefore be significantly larger than the number of people visible on the streets.
What About Switzerland?
Switzerland still lacks ongoing national statistics on homelessness. However, a 2022 study commissioned by the Bundesamt für Wohnungswesen (Federal Housing Office) from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland estimated around 2,200 homeless people.
Another approximately 8,000 people were considered at risk of losing their homes. The study was based, among other things, on surveys of cantons and municipalities. The authors simultaneously pointed out that the data situation was insufficient and a national monitoring system was lacking.
These figures are now several years old. They should therefore not be understood as a current assessment. However, they show that homelessness is a measurable social problem in Switzerland as well.
Zurich Now Counts Regularly
Zurich demonstrates the significant differences between individual regions. Since 2024, the city, together with the Pfarrer Sieber social welfare organization, conducts twice-yearly point-in-time counts.
Previous surveys in Zurich found an average of approximately 200 homeless people in winter, and around 125 in summer. Counts include individuals in public spaces as well as those in relevant social institutions.
At the same time, Zurich has a wide network of emergency shelters and other services. The city also pursues an approach gaining international importance: Housing First.
Housing First, Then Other Problems
In the Housing First model, long-term homeless individuals first receive their own apartment. Social support does not follow only after successful stabilization, but accompanies those affected from the outset.
A three-year pilot project has been running in Zurich since 2024. An external evaluation has yielded generally positive results. At the same time, a central difficulty emerges: finding suitable housing on the open market is challenging.
Thus, homelessness aid reaches a limit also familiar in the UK: Those who cannot find affordable housing struggle to permanently leave the streets or emergency accommodation.
Is Inflation Driving People from Their Homes?
This raises the question of causes. Rising rents, higher energy and living costs, and decreasing purchasing power can put households under greater pressure. People already living with low incomes, debts, or other problems are particularly vulnerable.
Unemployment can also increase the risk of housing loss, as a significant part of one's financial foundation suddenly disappears with income loss.
However, it cannot be automatically inferred that rising inflation or higher rents directly lead to more homelessness. Switzerland lacks comparable time series that link housing costs, income, unemployment, rent arrears, and actual homelessness over a longer period.
The possible connection is plausible – but it is not currently sufficiently proven statistically for Switzerland.
The UK Shows a Warning Sign
This is precisely why developments in the UK are interesting. The problem can be observed in much greater detail there. Current figures simultaneously show two trends: The number of people sleeping on the streets remains high – and the number of households in temporary accommodation reaches record levels.
This suggests that homelessness should not be viewed in isolation. Reacting only when people are sleeping on the streets may be intervening too late.
Earlier assistance with rent arrears, debt problems, or impending housing loss could prevent a financial crisis from actually becoming homelessness.
Is Switzerland Making the Same Mistakes?
A direct comparison is not possible. The political systems, housing markets, and social assistance differ significantly. The UK figures also refer specifically to England and are therefore not directly comparable with Swiss figures.
Nevertheless, there is a commonality: Affordable housing is a crucial part of the solution.
The 2022 Swiss federal study already recommended a better data basis, monitoring, and a strategy for housing and support. Several years later, while local surveys and new approaches like Housing First exist, there is still no ongoing national statistic.
Switzerland Knows Too Little About Its Own Problem
This is perhaps the most important finding from the comparison. The UK can now show monthly how many people newly end up on the streets, how many return, and how many are affected long-term.
In Switzerland, however, we have an older national estimate and individual local surveys. Therefore, it is not possible to reliably state how the number of affected individuals has developed since 2022.
This also leaves open the question of how strongly rising housing costs, loss of purchasing power, or unemployment actually contribute to homelessness.
Conclusion
The UK is attempting to get people off the streets with significant funding and a clear political objective. At the same time, current figures demonstrate how challenging this is.
For Switzerland, the lesson is not that a British model should simply be adopted. Much more important would be to know earlier and more precisely how homelessness develops and who is particularly at risk.
Because once people have lost their homes, the solution becomes significantly more difficult. Effective housing policy therefore may not begin on the streets, but where the loss of housing can still be prevented.
Sources
UK Government: Rough Sleeping Data Framework, April to June 2026 UK Government: Statutory Homelessness in England, January to March 2026 UK Government: Prime Minister Andy Burnham's National Plan to Combat Rough Sleeping Bundesamt für Wohnungswesen (Federal Housing Office): Study "Homelessness in Switzerland" City of Zurich: Point-in-Time Counts and Homelessness Aid City of Zurich: Housing First Pilot Project
