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Report of the County Medical Officer—General
87
CHAPTER XXXIIa.
SPECIAL REPORTS SUBMITTED BY THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH DURING THE
YEAR 1913.
I. Report by the Medical Officer Submitting the Result of a Census of Homeless Persons
Taken on the Night of the 14th February, 1913.
Since the beginning of 1904 the Public Health Committee of the Council has on several occasions
instructed the medical officer of health to take a census of homeless persons in London, and the eighth
of these enumerations was made on the night of the 14th February, 1913. The following figures
enable comparison to be made of the several results:—

In explanation of the above table it should be mentioned that in each case where the sets of
figures are shown in brackets for any one year, the uppermost denotes the number of persons,
presumably homeless, found actually in the street on the particular night. The figures marked with a
dagger relate to persons who were accommodated for a few hours in shelters, but were not
provided with beds. These persons would have been in the streets had it not been for charitable
effort. The 152' men coming within this category on the night of the 14th February, 1913, included
52 men at work in the King's Tents belonging to the Church Army ; 82 men in a shelter used in conjunction
with the Tents ; 18 men sitting up in the Salvation Army shelter in Middlesex-street, City.
There were also 6 women sitting up in a shelter in Rochester-row belonging to the Church Army. The
people found actually in the streets included 370 men and 121 women. For comparison with the
figures obtained on previous occasions, therefore, the total number of homeless persons is 649. This
is less by 554 than the total for 1912, and is the lowest recorded number.
In order to include as far as possible all persons who might reasonably be regarded as homeless, it
has been the practice in previous reports to make some reference to the number of persons occupying free
beds in licensed common lodging-houses, and night refuges for the destitute not licensed by the Council.
These figures have not in any instance been included in the above table inasmuch as they have not
on every occasion been available, but they are worthy of mention, and are here recorded for the sake of
comparison with the numbers obtained in previous years. In licensed common logding-houses where
no charge is made there were 1,217 men, 44 women, and 10 young persons, as against 1,298 men, 41
women, and 15 young persons on the night of the 9th February, 1912. In the shelters not licensed
by the Council there were 249 men. 234 women, and 6 children, to be compared with 286 men, 399
women, and 14 children in 1912. Various charitable agencies, moreover, gave 127 tickets to destitute
men entitling them to a free bed in an ordinary common lodging-house. The information in this and
the preceding paragraph is summarised in Table V.
Before instituting any further comparison of figures it is necessary to refer briefly to changes
of administration which have had a undoubted influence on the homeless person and the casual
* 160 of these men were in a shelter consuming soup and bread, but would be turned out immediately on
the conclusion of their meal.
† Men or women accommodated for a few hours in shelters but unprovided with beds.
‡ A smaller area than in later years. For purposes of comparison the total may be estimated at about
2,000 persons.