PM doubles rough sleeping funding to £874m and hosts Downing Street summit

The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has doubled the money behind his pledge to end rough sleeping, announcing a further £432 million and hosting the first ever Rough Sleeping Summit at Downing Street today.

The new funding, to be confirmed in Wednesday's Budget, takes the total investment behind the commitment to £874 million. The government says everyone sleeping rough will be offered a route off the street, or wider support, before Christmas, and that the extra money will keep that support going beyond March 2027 and through to the end of this Parliament.

For cities like Birmingham, where charities and the council work year round to help people off the streets, the promise of funding that lasts beyond a single winter is the part that matters most.

"Rough sleeping isn't a fact of life"

The pledge was one Mr Burnham made on his first day in Downing Street. "Rough sleeping isn't a fact of life. It's a thing governments either choose to accept or don't," he said. "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."

He added: "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."

Homes, jobs and haircuts

The summit brought together businesses, charities, housing providers and local leaders, and several made new pledges. 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 give practical digital support to frontline organisations, and L'Oréal Group will launch a Social Salon partnership with St Mungo's and Haircuts4Homeless.

Specialist outreach teams and new bedspaces are already operating in Coventry, the government said, with more provision rolling out in places including Plymouth and Camden in the coming weeks, backed by the initial £442 million.

Beyond Christmas

The Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner, said: "This is a big ambition - we know that. But we will not back down from making sure everyone has the offer of a route off the streets this Christmas."

She added: "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 Chancellor, John Healey, said the investment would give people "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."

The challenge is a big one, and the test will be whether an offer of help turns into a settled home. But a commitment that runs to the end of the Parliament gives councils and charities the certainty to plan beyond one winter at a time.