At least 51 children, the majority under a year old, were among 1,700 people who died while homeless in the UK last year, a social justice charity has said. It is the highest number of child deaths recorded since the Dying Homeless project started in 2017, which is run by the Museum of Homelessness. Many of the overall deaths occurred in emergency accommodation, the charity said, proving that “moving people indoors does not automatically make them safe”. Working with the National Child Mortality Database, the project found that 61% of the children who died were less than a year old, while only seven children were identified as homeless by councils. The Museum of Homelessness said the findings raise questions about how the deaths of children living in temporary accommodation are recorded by local authorities. In total, the project identified 1,720 people who died while homeless in 2025 across the UK – an increase of 6.8% on the previous year. More than 10,000 deaths have been recorded since the project began almost a decade ago in 2017. For 2025, 197 people who had died were found to be missing from local authority records, equivalent to one in 10 of the deaths. “Local authorities are under-reporting the true scale of homeless deaths,” the charity said. Meanwhile, 214 people died while rough sleeping or “with no fixed abode”, it added. Almost one third (30%) of deaths occurred while people were sleeping on the streets or in accommodation assigned to people who had been recently sleeping rough. “Deaths of despair” caused by drugs, alcohol and suicide accounted for half (52%) of all homeless deaths, the charity said, adding that “recovery, harm reduction and mental health services need urgent investment”. Deaths rose sharply in both England and Scotland, at 8% and 38% respectively, while Wales and Northern Ireland showed a downward trend. The findings are part of a preliminary release, with full figures due to be released 14 October. In July, as his first act as prime minister, Andy Burnham promised to end rough sleeping, with plans to get people temporarily off the streets in time for Christmas. Mairi Macrae of homeless charity Shelter described the new figures as “unspeakable”. And said it was time for a “national reckoning”. She added: “With winter setting in, the government’s drive to end rough sleeping by Christmas is the right one. “People need safe emergency accommodation, specialist support and, crucially, permanent social homes where they can truly rebuild their lives.”

An ICE agent shot a man in New York in front of his five-year-old child yesterday before taking him from hospital in an unmarked vehicle, sparking renewed anger at the agency as it “terrorises” US communities. Agents – some wearing construction vests and face masks and at least one carrying a long gun – surrounded the car of a 28-year-old Dominican national in the Bronx on Thursday, police and eyewitnesses said. At least one ICE agent shot seven rounds at the man, identified as Oscar Belgal, as his child sat in the car’s back seat. Belgal was wounded below his left ear and taken to hospital by city police. The child was physically unharmed and relatives have been taking care of him. Hours after the shooting, ICE agents removed the man from hospital. Footage from Freedomnews TV showed several unmarked ICE vehicles speeding away from the hospital as protesters lined the side of the road. Hundreds of New Yorkers including elected officials protested at the hospital treating Belgal, calling for the abolition of ICE. The protests later spread to nearby streets. Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier was pushed to the ground by police officers. "I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorise our communities," mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote on X on Thursday, adding that he had spent two hours on the phone to president Donald Trump trying to secure Belgal’s release but was unable to convince him. “Today’s shooting is only further devastating confirmation of what we have long known – which is that ICE operates with impunity,” he added at a press conference. “They sow chaos and terror across our country, that they have killed far more of our neighbours than they could ever have claimed to save.” The Department of Homeland Security claimed on X that officers targeted a “criminal illegal alien” associated with the Trinitarios gang who had been previously arrested for incidents involving assault, robbery and drug possession. ICE has previously faced criticism for falsely accusing immigrants of gang membership after they were shot by officers. Last night’s shooting comes as ICE arrests hit record levels, the Guardian reports. Immigration agents have shot at least 21 people since Trump returned to office in January 2025. ICE leaders instructed agents to increase arrests by 1,000 per day earlier this week, CNN was told, despite growing unease among even Republicans over Trump’s immigration crackdown.