Funding set to double for plan to get rough sleepers off streets by Christmas

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.

"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."

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 on a single night in autumn 2025 in England.

While homelessness organisations have welcomed the government's focus on rough sleeping, many have urged ministers to go further in the Budget.

Leaders from 40 organisations across the housing and homelessness sector signed an open letter last week calling on the government to restore Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates so they continue to reflect local rents, arguing this would help prevent homelessness in the first place and reduce reliance on temporary accommodation.

The Resolution Foundation estimates that more than 1.1 million low income renters now face shortfalls between their housing benefit and their actual rent, with the gap expected to reach a record high this October.

It argues that relinking LHA to local rents would primarily benefit struggling tenants and help keep more people in their homes.

Housing organisations say that while helping people already sleeping rough is essential, preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place will be critical if the government's longer-term ambition is to succeed.

The Conservatives' Lam said: "Burnham is throwing another £432m at a problem he failed to solve in Greater Manchester."

The Bed Every Night scheme Burnham set up while mayor in the region now provides more than 600 beds per night for people who might otherwise be on the streets.

He pledged to end rough sleeping in Greater Manchester by 2020 when he came into power.

When he was elected in 2017 government figures showed there were 268 rough sleepers across Greater Manchester, and by 2020 that figure had more than halved to 125 - meaning Burnham missed his target.

The numbers fell further to 90 in 2021 but the figures rose each year after that, reaching 197 by 2025.

Across England, government figures show the number of people sleeping rough is at its highest level since records began in 2010.

Lam continued: "Under Labour, rough sleeping has hit record highs – yet their answer is always more taxpayers' money and more empty promises.

"Healey must use his Budget this week to cut taxes for working people, get the ballooning benefits bill under control, and stop pushing up energy prices.

"Instead of piling more costs onto hard-working people, Healey must focus on easing the cost of living and delivering real value for taxpayers' money."

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