Government Launches National Drive to End Rough Sleeping by Christmas
New funding allocated as official figures reveal a record high in homelessness across England.
Sarah Connor
The government has initiated a national drive to move rough sleepers off the streets for Christmas.
An additional £102 million has been allocated from uncommitted budgets within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for immediate routes off the street this winter. This funding is understood to sit alongside the £340 million announced last month, which supports long-term rough sleepers into settled accommodation.
New accommodation and support are expected to roll out this winter; guidance will reportedly emphasize the need for adequate, accessible provision for female rough sleepers, who may be underrepresented in statistics and at greater risk of violence.
Local areas will be encouraged to consider single-sex accommodation with specialist, intensive, and trauma-informed support for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the 'Everyone In' scheme housed thousands of rough sleepers. The Prime Minister referenced this success, stating, "We did it in the pandemic, we can do it again."
We did it in the pandemic, we can do it again.
Lord John Bird claimed that Covid proved action is possible "when we decide rough sleeping is unacceptable," welcoming this Christmas commitment as a "return to that spirit."
However, Lord Bird cautioned that people must not just be brought in from the cold for a few weeks, "only to be sent back out again."
Lord John Bird expressed encouragement that the Prime Minister is allocating millions in "tried-and-tested localised solutions that offer wraparound support for long-term rough sleepers."
Separately, Andy Burnham has also pledged to tackle rough sleeping by Christmas within his jurisdiction. The Prime Minister is expected to visit a homelessness charity in the north-east later today.
Sarah Elliott claimed the Prime Minister's pledge to get everyone sleeping rough off the streets by Christmas is a "game-changing move" and exactly the kind of "bold leadership needed to end the housing emergency."
Elliott also claimed that while tackling the most visible form of homelessness is a strong start, the almost 178,000 children hidden away in grim temporary accommodation also need somewhere to call home. She urged the Prime Minister to apply the same unwavering ambition to delivering the council housing revolution he promised.