during the period of austerity, the rate of homelessness rapidly increased. for example, during 2016 the rate of homelessness increased by 16%. by 2018 the number of families living in bed and breakfast accommodation was almost 50,000, and there were many more "hidden homeless" people living on the floors and sofas of friends and acquaintances. an article in the bmj regarded this as a "neon sign that something is fundamentally wrong" with how society is being run, noting that "homeless women die on average at 43 and homeless men at 47, compared with 77 for the rest of us". the office for national statistics estimated that 597 homeless people died in england and wales in 2017, an increase of 24% since 2012.