🏠 Ending rough sleeping: What the government's new plan means for people sleeping on our streets 

If you're concerned about rough sleeping in your area, the government has announced a new national drive to end long-term rough sleeping at the earliest opportunity, backed by an additional £340 million in funding. 

The investment will fund more homes and intensive support for people facing the most severe forms of homelessness, with action beginning immediately ahead of winter. 

Here's what this announcement means. 

❓ Why is the government taking this action? 

The Prime Minister has said that rough sleeping is one of the starkest injustices in the country and rejected the idea that ending it will take decades or cannot be achieved. 

The government believes rough sleeping has been driven by years of systemic failure and wants to shift towards earlier intervention and prevention, helping people before they reach crisis point. 

💷 What funding has been announced? 

The government has announced an additional £340 million to support a new national effort to end rough sleeping. This takes overall funding from this government to end homelessness to a record £3.9 billion.  

This funding is the first phase of a five-year programme that will provide homes and support for people experiencing the most severe and long-term homelessness. 

🏡 What will the money be used for? 

The initial investment will fund: 

• 1,200 homes for people experiencing long term rough sleeping 

• Intensive support for at least 3,000 people to help get them off the streets and into stable housing with wraparound support 

• Immediate action to help people who have spent long periods sleeping on the streets move into secure accommodation. 

Work will begin straight away, including acquiring suitable homes and identifying those most in need.  

🤝 Who will deliver the programme? 

Local leaders will lead delivery of the programme, working alongside central government, councils, the NHS and other public services. 

This builds on successful local approaches that have already helped reduce rough sleeping in communities across the country. 

⏰ When will people see the changes? 

As the Prime Minister said, this government is taking immediate action – with urgent first steps bringing together national and local government to get to work on fixing this.   
 
This will mean we vulnerable people will get vital support before the winter.  

Further measures forming part of the wider five-year programme are expected to be announced before the autumn.