Andy Burnham unveils plan to get rough sleepers off streets for Christmas
Michael Buchanan & Eleanor Lawrie, BBC Social Affairs, and Richard Wheeler, Political reporter
AFP via Getty Images
A rough sleeper in London last month
Every rough sleeper in England will be offered accommodation this winter, the prime minister has said.
Andy Burnham made ending rough sleeping his first pledge when entering Downing Street in July and now says he wants "to get everyone in for Christmas".
Emergency accommodation will be provided to end the need for rough sleeping alongside practical support for any health needs, as part of a £442m package.
Sir James Cleverly, Conservative shadow housing secretary, said Burnham promised to end rough sleeping in Greater Manchester when mayor of the area but "failed because he didn’t do the hard work necessary".
Burnham’s pledge seeks to build on the success of Everyone In, a Covid pandemic-era scheme that saw thousands of rough sleepers housed in hotels and temporary accommodation. About 37,000 people were helped by that scheme, following its launch in March 2020. The charity Shelter found that about a quarter of them had found settled accommodation lasting at least six months.
The PM’s announcement comes with an additional £102m in new funding, taking Burnham’s total commitment to tackling rough sleeping to £442m since becoming prime minister. The money is said to be "fully funded" within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
As well as providing immediate support to get people off the streets, the funding is also designed to deliver more than 1,000 homes over the next three years to provide rough sleepers with permanent accommodation. The funding will also provide "intensive wraparound support", typically psychiatric and drug and alcohol services to help people rebuild their lives.
Burnham said he did not believe "anybody should be forced to sleep rough". He added: "And actually when you do leave people sleeping rough it can often cost more to the state because people can be in and out of A&E, in and out of hospital beds and sometimes in contact with the police."
The prime minister said the government funding "may not fully get us there" as he appealed to charities and faith organisations to help ensure an offer is made to everybody who needs it. He added: "We did it in the pandemic. We can do it again."
The government said areas facing the greatest pressures will get the largest share of support. It added guidance will make clear the need to ensure "adequate and accessible provision" for female rough sleepers, who it says are often underrepresented in official statistics and can be at greater risk of violence, abuse and exploitation.
