Burnham to double spending on homelessness amid drive to end rough sleeping by Christmas

Andy Burnham is to double spending on ending rough sleeping to almost £۹۰۰m by the end of the current parliament, as he steps up efforts to get people off the streets by Christmas.

The prime minister has pledged to offer every rough sleeper in England a safe route off the streets or wider support as a central part of his premiership.

As he prepared for a Downing Street summit on ending rough sleeping on Monday, Burnham said the budget would bring a further £۴۳۲m commitment to helping to tackle homelessness.

The sum is on top of an initial £۴۴۲m from Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government budgets that will be allocated to the problem before March ۲۰۲۷.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, which will bring together charities and businesses, 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.”

Burnham’s mission to end rough sleeping is already under way with just two months to go before his deadline. There are specialist outreach teams and new accommodation spaces operating in Coventry, and further provision is being rolled out in places including Plymouth and Camden over the coming weeks.

The additional funding is being provided in an attempt to solve the problem of rough sleeping in the longer term. As mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham introduced schemes such as A Bed Every Night to offer emergency accommodation, but while the number of rough sleepers fell, it then began to increase again.

Burnham has previously said this was because “we were the only place providing that level of support and, understandably, people then travelled to Greater Manchester to access that support”.

He has said ending rough sleeping across the country will only be possible “if all areas are pulling in the same direction, and that’s what this funding is designed to achieve”.

The prime minister’s rough sleeping summit on Monday will bring together businesses, charities, housing providers and local leaders as they attempt to create more lasting changes.

Alongside the government, other organisations are making pledges towards solving the problem, with the National Housing Federation working with housing associations to identify at least ۲,۰۰۰ potential homes and bed spaces, including empty properties that could be brought back into use.

Virgin Media O۲ will provide practical digital support to frontline organisations, while the charities St Mungo’s and Haircuts۴Homeless will work with L’Oréal on hair salons and wellbeing provision for those who have been sleeping rough.

Angela Rayner, the housing secretary, said it was a “big ambition” and the government would “not back down from making sure everyone has the offer of a route off the streets this Christmas”.

She said: “The first step is giving people a roof over their head and freedom from the nightly struggle to find somewhere safe to sleep. But Christmas is only the beginning and that’s why we will keep working together to tackle the root causes of homelessness and end rough sleeping for good.”

The homelessness charity Shelter welcomed the announcement. Its acting CEO, Mairi MacRae, said the funding showed “the government understands that a safe home is not a privilege, it is a necessity”.

However, the Conservatives dismissed the move, with Katie Lam, the shadow housing secretary, accusing the government of wanting to spend too much money on ending rough sleeping.

“Burnham is throwing another £۴۳۲m at a problem he failed to solve in Greater Manchester,” she said. “Under Labour, rough sleeping has hit record highs – yet their answer is always more taxpayers’ money and more empty promises.”

Referring to the chancellor, Lam said: “[John] 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 on to hard-working people, Healey must focus on easing the cost of living and delivering real value for taxpayers’ money.”