get us and uk politics insight with our free daily email briefing straight to your inbox invalid email something went wrong, please try again later. sign up thank you for subscribing we have more newsletters show me see our privacy notice almost 600 homeless people have died in england and wales in a single year, shocking figures reveal. an estimated 597 homeless people died in 2017, a rise of 24% over the last five years. today's office for national statistics figures were released less than 36 hours after a homeless man was found dying outside parliament. days before christmas the man - named by friends as gyula remes - was found in an underpass next to westminster tube station and died later in hospital. he was the second homeless man known to have died near the palace of westminster this year on thursday the speaker of the house of commons also expressed his sadness at the death. he said: may i express my sadness on behalf of the whole house at the death yesterday in the subway. they mostly cover people sleeping rough or using emergency accommodation at or around the time of death. image: facebook today's statistics, the first official figures detailing the number of people who have died while homeless estimate 482 homeless people died in 2013; 475 in 2014; 508 in 2015; 565 in 2016; and 597 in 2017. leading homeless charity crisis called the situation a national tragedy. chief executive, jon sparkes, said: “ it’s shocking to think that hundreds of people faced the last days of their lives without the dignity of a secure roof over their head. this is nothing short of a national tragedy - especially when we know that homelessness is not inevitable. he added: “behind these statistics are human beings – mothers, fathers, daughters and sons – whose families will now be spending christmas coming to terms with their loss. this has to change. governments must urgently expand the system used to investigate the deaths of vulnerable adults to include all those who have died while street homeless, so that crucial lessons can be learned to help prevent more people from dying needlessly. we must also recognise that many people who are homeless have complex needs that have either led to their homelessness, or developed because of it. it’s crucial that there are services in place to support people in these vulnerable circumstances, before it’s too late. almost all of last year's homeless deaths were men, at 84%. homeless men died on average at the age of 44 and women at 42 in that period, compared to 76 and 81 for the general population. homeless deaths in england and wales ons london and the north west of england had the highest mortality rates. london was the worst hit last year with more than a fifth of the estimated deaths, at 136, while the north west had 119. but over that period the estimated death toll in london remained largely stable, whereas the north west saw a jump of 115% from 55. estimates for the north east also saw a 71% increase, from 18 to 32. it was estimated that last year more than one in 10 homeless deaths were due to suicide, while more than two-fifths was due to drug poisoning or alcohol-related. melanie onn mp, labour’s shadow housing minister, said: “these figures are utterly shameful and reflect a complete failure of conservative policy on housing, which has seen rough sleeping skyrocket since 2010. “we are one of the richest countries in the world and there is no excuse for people dying on our streets. “labour will provide £100m to ensure that everyone has shelter when it becomes dangerously cold. we will end rough sleeping within five years to ensure that everyone has a place to call home.” housing secretary james brokenshire described the figures as stark. answering an urgent question he told the house of commons: every death of someone sleeping rough on our streets is one too many. he added: no one chooses to be on the street - no one chooses that life. theresa may's spokesman said: “these figures are clearly very concerning. “every death on our streets is one too many and it's unacceptable to see lives cut short this way. “we are determined to help the most vulnerable in society – that's why we are investing £1.2billion to tackle homelessness, and on taking action to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and end it altogether by 2027.” asked what the pm thought was behind the rise, her spokesman said: “these are complex issues but what's important is that we are working hard to address this with partners.” asked about the death on parliament's doorstep, he added: “there is an investigation which has begun into that but obviously our sympathies go to his family and his friends and all those who knew him.” asked if the pm “feels a sense of shame” because the man had been sleeping rough outside parliament, her spokesman said: “the pm's thoughts are with all those who knew the guy, and it's very tragic.”
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