Cornwall has long had a shortage of affordable housing. Housing supply for local people continues to be squeezed with more and more properties being used as holiday accommodation. The growth of online holiday lettings and the prevalence of second home ownership has led to a shift in the rental market with a reduction in tenancy availability for local people.

Cornwall is experiencing a sharp and sustained rise in homelessness. Nationally, the Rough Sleeping Snapshot for Autumn 2025 reported a 3% increase in rough sleeping, the highest figures ever recorded. Cornwall’s increase was significantly higher at 23%, reflecting the growing demand we are seeing across all our services. These figures represent only a fraction of the true picture as many more people are “hidden homeless” - sofa‑surfing, living in unsafe or unsuitable accommodation - without ever appearing in official counts.

There are over 960 households, which is around 1,700 people, in temporary accommodation in the county. There are over 21,000 households on the social housing waiting list in the county.  That represents 8% of the population of Cornwall.

Shelter’s data which only includes people who are officially recorded as homeless demonstrates high levels of homelessness in Cornwall, estimating that 1 in every 338 people in Cornwall are homeless (Shelter, 2025), that is compared to 1 in every 153 in England.

People experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Cornwall face multiple challenges. The rural nature of the county compounds these challenges with lack of access to services due to poor public transport and the dispersed nature of the county. Many people have long‑term experiences of homelessness, being either the cause or the consequence of additional challenges, for example, trauma, mental ill‑health, substance use, and physical health conditions. We are experiencing the complexity of people’s needs growing while the number of people with complex needs is also growing. This is set against squeezed service provision and funding leaving organisations struggling to stay open while the demand increases. This results in people unable to access appropriate support and people slipping through the cracks with nowhere to turn.

Many people who find themselves homeless or at risk of homelessness are not entitled to any support from the state.  That is where St Petrocs steps in to offer support and advice.

Helpful links:

https://england.shelter.org.uk/what_we_do/updates_insights_and_impact/interactive_homelessness_map)

https://www.crisis.org.uk/ending-homelessness/homelessness-monitor/the-homelessness-monitor-england-2025/

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/housing/housing-intelligence/

https://www.stpetrocs.org.uk/news/st-petrocs-responds-to-latest-uk-government-rough-sleeping-statistics

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/housing/housing-strategy/homelessness-and-rough-sleeping-strategy/

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/rough-sleeping-snapshot-in-england-autumn-2025/rough-sleeping-snapshot-in-england-autumn-2025