The Prime Minister has said he is confident that every rough sleeper will have a route of the street by Christmas, as he announced an additional £432 million of support.
The additional funding will be set out in the budget tomorrow.
It will extend support beyond March 2027 and through to the end of this Parliament, taking total investment behind his commitment to £874 million.
The Prime Minister initially made a pledge to offer everyone sleeping rough a route of the street before Christmas on his first day in office.
Some action is already underway with specialist outreach teams and new bedspaces operating in Coventry, and further provision being rolled out in places including Plymouth and Camden over the coming weeks. This support is backed by the original £442 million.
On Monday, the PM hosted the first ever Rough Sleeping Summit at Downing Street, bringing together businesses, charities, housing providers and local leaders to mobilise the resources, expertise and commitment needed to deliver lasting change. The National Housing Federation will work with housing associations to identify at least 2,000 potential homes and bedspaces, including empty properties that could be brought back into use. Virgin Media O2 will provide practical digital support to frontline organisations, while L’Oréal Group will launch a pioneering Social Salon partnership with St Mungo’s and Haircuts4Homeless.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “Rough sleeping isn’t a fact of life. It’s a thing governments either choose to accept or don’t.
“Well I don’t accept it. 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.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey said: “No one should ever have to sleep rough, which is why we are doubling our investment to more people and providing a chance to break the cycle and end sleeping on the streets of our country – not just this Christmas, but for the years to come.”
