Funding is set to double to support a pledge by the prime minister to give every rough sleeper in England a route off the streets by Christmas. Ending rough sleeping was one of Andy Burnham's first promises when he entered Downing Street, announcing a £442m package to provide emergency accommodation and practical support. On the eve of the first Rough Sleeping Summit at Downing Street on Monday, No 10 has indicated a further £432m will be added to the initiative in Wednesday's Budget.
Shadow housing secretary Katie Lam said rough sleeping had hit "record highs under Labour" and criticised Burnham for failing to end rough sleeping when he was the Mayor of Greater Manchester. The BBC understands the government's commitment is that every rough sleeper will be able to physically move into accommodation by Christmas and/or they will be offered support as a way to prevent them sleeping rough. Some people may choose not to accept accommodation, but ministers say support will still be offered to them.
The government said initial funding had seen specialist outreach teams and new bed spaces operating in Coventry, with further provision being rolled out in places including Plymouth and Camden in north London over the coming weeks. Money being added to the pot this week will extend support beyond March 2027 to the end of this Parliament, taking total investment to £874m. Ahead of hosting the summit, Burnham said: "Rough sleeping isn't a fact of life.
It's a thing governments either choose to accept or don't. That's why we're doubling funding so that people aren't just offered a safe route off the streets this winter but have that same support right through the rest of this Parliament too. "But we can't do it alone.
If we're going to end rough sleeping, we need every part of society behind us on this. So today we're bringing together businesses, charities and local leaders in Downing Street to make sure this is a solution that lasts." More than 30 organisations have pledged support for the plan with new partnerships, including commercial businesses and charities. Meanwhile, the National Housing Federation is working with housing associations to identify at least 2,000 potential homes and bed spaces, including empty properties that could be brought back into use.
However, questions remain about whether the scale of accommodation currently identified will be sufficient. It is not yet clear how many of the 2,000 homes and bedspaces represent self-contained units and how many could accommodate multiple people. The most recent official figures estimated there were 4,793 people sleeping rough, external on a single night in autumn 2025 in England.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
