© Reuters/Dylan Martinez
new government figures reveal. The crisis has prompted homelessness charities to call for sweeping reforms.
Data from the Department for Communities and Local Government found that levels of homelessness in the capital rose by 37 percent between 2013 and 2014. The rest of the country also saw rises, averaging at 14 percent.
The figures are an embarrassing failure for London Mayor Boris Johnson, who has always publicly claimed to put homelessness at the top of his agenda. He previously pledged to eradicate the problem by as long ago as 2012.
The report said that there were nearly 750 people sleeping rough on the streets of London, which accounts for 27 percent of the total national figure. Some 46 percent of the capital's homeless were UK nationals, while others were Polish, Romanian, Irish, Portuguese, African and Asian nationals.
Ministers have said that despite the implementation of a homelessness prevention scheme, the figures are a cause for concern.
The report's findings have prompted homeless charities to call for legal reforms.
Comment: Notice the Quartet excludes Israel.