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<p>Measuring “hidden homelessness” is a complex issue. It will always be difficult
by its nature – people are often not in contact with services, and it is challenging
to establish everything that is going on in people’s lives. <br> <br> The Department
does collect information on overcrowding and on concealed households (usually defined
as single adults or groups of adults, with or without children, who occupy the accommodation
with, but do not belong to, the household reference person’s family unit) through
the English Housing Survey. Additional information is being collected through this
survey to identify people who have experienced homelessness. <br> <br> The Homelessness
Reduction Act brings more people such as single homeless households into scope to
receive assistance from their local authority. These households were not assisted
or reported through the old P1E collection, until the end of March 2018. Details on
these non-priority need, single households often living with friends and family have
been captured through the Department’s new case level data collection system, Homelessness
Case Level Information Collection (H-CLIC), since April 2018. This data can be found
online here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness</a><br>
<br> The new data collection system, H-CLIC, captures information on households approaching
for and receiving homelessness assistance, household demographics and the circumstances
surrounding their homelessness. This includes any support needs of the homeless household.
In time it will enable MHCLG to monitor repeat homelessness where people come back
to services. It will help identify more detail on the circumstances of households
vulnerable to homelessness and the interventions that are successful in preventing
homelessness in the first place.</p>
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