This article examines what Enfield Council’s Freedom of Information data shows about homelessness approaches and the duties the Council owes to homeless households. In 2023/24 and 2024/25, Black/African households made about 1.6 approaches for every one by White British households, and Black/African women heading single-parent families made up 29.2% of female single-parent households owed the relief duty in 2025.
The data also shows how much information is missing. Ethnicity was not provided or was refused for more than half of the households owed the main housing duty in 2025, which limits what anyone can say with confidence.
The article covers why households approach the Council, who approaches, who is owed the relief and main duties, the position of single mothers, what the missing data means, and what we are asking the Council to do.
About the Freedom of Information Request
Enfield Council received our request on housing allocations, temporary accommodation, evictions and equality on 21 April 2026. The Housing Advisory Service answered the homelessness questions on 19 May 2026, and this article draws on that reply. The allocations team answered the rest of the same request on 14 May 2026.
Approach figures cover 2022/23 to 2024/25. Relief and main duty figures cover the calendar year 2025.
Family Exclusion Is Catching Up With Section 21
The new data gives three years of numbers behind the reasons households approach the Council. Section 21 approaches fell by 40%, from 1,627 in 2022/23 to 975 in 2024/25, while approaches from households asked to leave by family rose 13%, from 691 to 781.
In 2022/23, section 21 approaches outnumbered family exclusions by more than two to one; by 2024/25 the gap had narrowed to 975 against 781. Approaches from people fleeing domestic abuse fell from 376 to 279, though the response does not explain the decline.
The reason was left blank for 826 approaches in 2024/25, the second-largest category that year, so a large share of approaches cannot be explained from the data.
Black/African Approaches Outnumbered White British Approaches
| Year | Total approaches | Ethnicity unknown | Black/African | White British |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4,191 | 26.2% | 704 | 685 |
| 2023/24 | 5,667 | 20.5% | 1,080 | 677 |
| 2024/25 | 4,844 | 20.1% | 994 | 614 |
In 2023/24 and 2024/25, Black/African households made about 1.6 approaches for every one by White British households, and about a quarter of all approaches with a recorded ethnicity. In 2022/23 the two groups’ numbers were similar, but 950 approaches that year had ethnicity recorded as “don’t know or refused”. These are counts of approaches, not rates. Without population figures by ethnicity, they do not show which communities face the highest risk of homelessness.
Who Was Owed the Relief and Main Duties in 2025
The Council owed the relief duty to 3,450 households in 2025. This duty requires it to take reasonable steps to help an eligible homeless household secure suitable accommodation available for at least six months. It owed the main housing duty, which requires it to secure accommodation until the duty ends, to 3,442 households. These are separate counts and the same household may appear in both, so the two totals should not be added together.
Relief-duty records had no usable ethnicity data in 40.5% of cases. Main-duty records had no usable ethnicity data in 52.4% of cases: 42.6% were marked “not provided” and 9.8% recorded a refusal. Among main duty households with a recorded ethnicity, 33.2% were Black/African and 16.1% White British, and all Black ethnic groups together made up 48.1%.
Single Mothers From Black/African Communities
The clearest pattern combining race and gender concerns women raising children alone. Black/African women headed 347 of the 1,189 female single-parent households owed the relief duty (29.2%), and 225 of the 797 owed the main duty (28.2%).
White British women headed 14.9% and 15.2% respectively. We do not have population figures for single-parent families by ethnicity in Enfield, so we cannot say how far these shares differ from the local population, but they are a clear signal for the Council to investigate.
Main-Duty Housing Outcomes Were Not Supplied
The supplied figures do not establish what proportion of main-duty households secured settled accommodation. The Council should publish outcomes for a clearly defined group over a consistent reporting period, distinguishing social lettings, private rented homes and other routes.
Why Missing Data Is Itself a Problem
The Council told us that the equality monitoring section of the homelessness application is voluntary. However, the response does not establish how much of the missing information results from applicants declining to answer, incomplete forms or recording practices. Whatever the cause, ethnicity is missing for between about a fifth and just over half of records, depending on the stage.
Missing ethnicity data limits what the Council and residents can conclude about whether services reach different communities fairly. Reliable monitoring can support the Council’s assessment of equality impacts, but these gaps alone do not establish a breach of the Public Sector Equality Duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010.
The ranked reasons for approaches have a similar weakness. With the reason blank for 826 approaches in 2024/25, prevention work cannot be fully targeted at what is actually driving homelessness.
What We Are Asking Enfield Council to Do
We are asking for six practical steps.
- Improve ethnicity and reason recording at every stage by explaining to applicants why the information is collected, while keeping disclosure voluntary.
- Publish annual homelessness data by ethnicity, household type and duty outcome, with small numbers suppressed to protect identities.
- Investigate why Black/African single mothers form such a large share of households owed the relief and main duties, and publish what it finds.
- Report how many main duty households move into a settled home each year, and how long they waited.
- Make sure households receive help from the point they are threatened with homelessness, and that no one is advised to wait for a bailiff before help starts.
- Commission culturally competent advice and support, including domestic abuse support, in partnership with community organisations.
Your Rights Once the Council Owes You a Duty
If the Council is satisfied that you are eligible for help and homeless or threatened with homelessness, it must assess your circumstances and give you a written personalised housing plan. It must try to agree with you the steps you and the Council will take. If agreement cannot be reached, it must record the disagreement and the steps it considers reasonable. The plan should be kept under review, so tell the Council if your circumstances change.
You have the right to ask for a review of many homelessness decisions, including decisions about which duty you are owed. Where a statutory review right applies, you normally need to request the review within 21 days of being notified of the decision. Interim accommodation has different challenge procedures, so seek independent housing advice promptly and keep copies of every letter.
If English is not your first language, ask the Council for an interpreter, and ask an advice organisation to help you understand the decision before you respond.
Opportunities for Better Prevention
The rise in family exclusions points prevention towards mediation and early support for families under strain, alongside domestic abuse and affordability. Community organisations with language skills and cultural knowledge are well placed to reach these households before they reach crisis.
The Council already holds data broken down by ethnicity and household type. Publishing it routinely, once checked and with small numbers suppressed to protect privacy, would let partners target support where it is most needed.
Where Better Data Could Come From
Every council in England already reports the ethnicity of homeless applicants to government through its quarterly H-CLIC returns, and the government publishes local authority tables from them. Enfield could build on this data to publish a fuller local version, adding household type and duty outcomes.
Comparing Enfield’s figures with neighbouring boroughs would also show whether the patterns in this article are particular to Enfield or common across north London. That comparison would be a useful next step for campaigners and councillors alike.
Conclusion: Count Everyone, Then Act
Enfield Council’s data shows Black/African households making more homelessness approaches than White British households, and Black/African single mothers forming a large share of those owed the relief and main duties. It also shows how much information is missing: the response did not supply housing outcomes for main-duty households, and ethnicity is unknown for many records.
We will share these findings with the Council and local councillors and ask for the missing information and an equality analysis. If you have faced homelessness in Enfield, or support people who have, we would like to hear from you.
If you found this article useful, please share it with others working on homelessness in Enfield.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many households did Enfield Council owe a homelessness duty in 2025?
The Council owed the relief duty to 3,450 households and the main housing duty to 3,442 households in 2025, according to its response to our Freedom of Information request. The two figures may include some of the same households, so they should not be added together.
How do recorded approaches compare by ethnicity?
In 2023/24 and 2024/25, Black/African households made about 1.6 approaches for every one by White British households. Ethnicity was unknown for about a fifth of approaches, and these counts do not show which communities face the highest risk of homelessness.
What is the difference between the relief duty and the main housing duty?
Under the relief duty, the Council must take reasonable steps to help an eligible homeless household secure accommodation for at least six months. The main duty applies to households in priority need who are not intentionally homeless, and requires the Council to secure accommodation until the duty ends.
What is a personalised housing plan?
It is a written plan the Council must give an eligible applicant who is homeless or threatened with homelessness, after assessing their circumstances. The Council must try to agree the steps both sides will take to prevent or relieve homelessness. If agreement is not reached, it must record the disagreement and the steps it considers reasonable.
Can I challenge a homelessness decision?
Yes, for many decisions, including which duty you are owed. Where a statutory review right applies, you normally need to request the review within 21 days of being notified of the decision. Interim accommodation has different challenge procedures, so seek independent advice promptly.
Why is ethnicity missing for so many homelessness records?
The Council says disclosure is voluntary. However, the response does not establish how much missing information results from applicants declining to answer, incomplete forms or recording practices. In 2025, main-duty records had no usable ethnicity data in 52.4% of cases: 42.6% were marked “not provided” and 9.8% recorded a refusal.
Do I have to give my ethnicity on a homelessness application?
No. Enfield Council told us the equality monitoring section of the homelessness application is voluntary.
References
Enfield Council (2026a) Response to Freedom of Information request: Housing: Allocations, Accommodations, Evictions and Equality (allocations questions). Request received 21 April 2026. Email from Housing Assessments and Allocations to Diversity Rights, 14 May 2026.
Enfield Council (2026b) Response to Freedom of Information request: Housing: Allocations, Accommodations, Evictions and Equality (homelessness questions). Request received 21 April 2026. Email from the Housing Advisory Service to Diversity Rights, 19 May 2026.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2018) Homelessness code of guidance for local authorities, Chapter 11: Assessments and personalised plans. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homelessness-code-of-guidance-for-local-authorities/chapter-11-assessments-and-personalised-plans (Accessed: 18 October 2026).
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2018) Homelessness code of guidance for local authorities, Chapter 12: Duty in cases of threatened homelessness (the prevention duty). Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homelessness-code-of-guidance-for-local-authorities/chapter-12-duty-in-cases-of-threatened-homelessness-the-prevention-duty (Accessed: 17 October 2026).
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2018) Homelessness code of guidance for local authorities, Chapter 13: Relief duty. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homelessness-code-of-guidance-for-local-authorities/chapter-13-relief-duty (Accessed: 18 October 2026).
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2018) Homelessness code of guidance for local authorities, Chapter 19: Review of decisions and appeals to the county court. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homelessness-code-of-guidance-for-local-authorities/chapter-19-review-of-decisions-and-appeals-to-the-county-court (Accessed: 18 October 2026).
Legislation cited: Housing Act 1996, Part 7, including sections 189A (assessments and personalised housing plans), 189B (relief duty), 193 (main housing duty) and 202 (right to request a review), as amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017; Equality Act 2010, section 149; Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Oct 18, 2026
Disclaimer
This article is based on information supplied by Enfield Council under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and on publicly available sources, accurate to the best of our knowledge at the date of publication. Shares by ethnicity are our own calculations and are affected by missing records. This article is for public information and campaigning purposes and does not constitute legal or housing advice. If you are in immediate danger, call 999.