There is extensive national coverage across print, broadcast and digital platforms of the department’s announcement that everyone sleeping rough in England will be offered a route off the streets this winter, backed by a £442 million package.
Following an interview with the Secretary of State, the I Paper led on its front page that this marks the first phase of the PM’s ambitious Housing First strategy to end rough sleeping and reflected that “getting everyone in” is the “start of a process” to end rough sleeping.
Other outlets including The Daily Mirror, ITV News, The Guardian, The Financial Times, LBC, BBC News, The Independent, GB News, The Daily Telegraph, Big Issue and The Sun also report on the announcement prominently – pointing to the Prime Minister’s plans to convene a ‘first of its kind’ national summit on ending rough sleeping in the autumn, bringing together leaders from business, finance, health and faith communities to ask how they can all play a role. Coverage also reflects on Greater Manchester’s A Bed Every Night covid-era scheme that aims to provide support to anyone sleeping rough in the region.
Ministers also wrote directly for various outlets, sharing the reasons why this mission is so important:
- Writing for The Daily Mirror, the Prime Minister said ending rough sleeping is “a moral mission for me”, adding he expects “everyone to be offered a route off the streets” but it will be “up to local leaders to decide what kind of support their communities need beyond that”.
- The Guardian also featured an op-ed from the Prime Minister, pledging he “won’t abandon anyone to sleep rough on our streets” and the £442 million is a “national drive in England to get everyone in for Christmas”, adding he does not want “Whitehall trying to dictate how every penny of that is spent”.
- The Secretary of State wrote for LBC saying the £442 million package is the “urgent first step towards ending long-term rough sleeping” and the money will “go to the cities, towns and areas from the north to the south and east to west where pressures are most acute and will be spent by local leaders on what’s proven to work best in their areas”.
- Minister Eshalomi wrote for The London Standard about her own childhood experience of homelessness, setting out that she is “so proud to be doing what I can to provide that security, stability and dignity for the people of this great city, where I found a home.”
Numerous regional outlets have reflected funding allocations for their local areas, including Harrogate Advertiser, Exeter Today, Derbyshire Live, Milton Keynes Citizen, Newark Advertiser, Manchester Evening News and Lancaster Guardian, as well as many regional radio stations.
Charities and homelessness projects have also responded to the announcement, including:
Matt Downie, Chief Executive of Crisis, said:
“Today’s announcement represents a clear statement that in the 21st century, we will not tolerate a situation where people are having to bed down on our streets. It puts us on the path to an historic milestone: the end of rough sleeping in England.
“Being forced to sleep rough puts people at increased risk of serious illness, violence, and abuse. The average age of death for people experiencing homelessness is 45 for men and 43 for women. So getting people off the streets and onto the path to a settled, secure home will save lives.
“In the long-term, rough sleeping can only be solved with the provision of safe, affordable homes, so we really welcome the funding to provide more settled homes.
“Where access to a home isn't possible straight away, providing good quality accommodation with a clear plan to support people into settled housing is a vital first step. We stand ready to help the Prime Minister in delivering this vital intervention ahead of Christmas, starting with this Autumn’s summit that will bring together civil society, businesses and faith leaders to help deliver on the Government’s vision of a country without rough sleeping.”
Dr Emma Haddad, Chief Executive of St Mungo's, said:
“Today’s announcement marks a pivotal moment for the thousands of people experiencing rough sleeping: an acknowledgement from the highest level of political leadership that rough sleeping should not exist, and a decisive step forward to end it once and for all.
In 21st Century Britain, nobody should be forced to sleep on the streets. We have long been calling for urgent and decisive action to end rough sleeping, and we wholeheartedly welcome Andy Burnham’s commitment to offer a route off the streets for everyone sleeping rough by Christmas, with a longer term, sustainable, housing-led programme developed alongside. It is exactly the kind of intervention needed to save lives, and to begin turning the tide on record levels of rough sleeping.
Every day, we see the devastating impact rough sleeping has on people’s health, safety and hope for the future. It deepens trauma, negatively impacts mental and physical health, and makes it even harder to access support. Housing is key, but housing alone will not be enough. A roof over somebody’s head provides immediate safety, but lasting recovery requires intensive, person-centred, joined-up support.
That today’s announcement provides both a commitment to get people off the streets quickly, as well as the tailored support needed to help them stay off them for good, is exactly the right approach. We stand ready to work with the Government, this winter and beyond, to make that ambition a reality.”
Lord Bird, the co-founder of the Big Issue and a crossbench peer, said:
“COVID proved that when we decide rough sleeping is unacceptable, we can act and get people in off the streets. This Christmas commitment is a welcome return to that spirit.
“But it’s important that people are not just brought in from the cold for a few weeks, only to be sent back out again. To that end, I’m encouraged to see the Prime Minister is allocating millions in tried-and-tested localised solutions that offer wraparound support for long-term rough sleepers. Countless projects and pilots demonstrated this approach works, only to be suffocated by the underinvestment and short-termist mindset of the previous government.
“In all my years at the Big Issue, I’ve never met a rough sleeper whose only problem was homelessness. Rough sleeping is a destination after years of untreated issues, like mental health problems, abuse and substance addictions – none of which simply vanishes when you get a roof over someone’s head. Instead we must start treating the causes of homelessness and begin the process of getting people back into society.”
Seyi Obakin, Chief Executive of youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, said:
“It is brilliant to see the Prime Minister’s pledge to end rough sleeping backed by a serious commitment of funding. We know how to eradicate street homelessness, not just for winter but with long-term investment in the systems and solutions that will ensure people aren’t forced to return to the streets and newly homeless people are prevented from ending up on the streets. What has been missing for too long is the will to do it at the scale and consistency required. With sustained funding and a clear plan that includes frontline delivery practitioners, this commitment can turn that ambition into reality and ensure all young people have the solid foundations of a home from which to build a future.”
Rick Henderson, CEO of Homeless Link, the national membership body for frontline homelessness organisations, comments:
“The Government’s commitment to a national drive to end rough sleeping, backed by clear action and additional funding is extremely welcome. We are pleased that the need for both emergency off the street provision and investment in practical support has been recognised, and that there is an understanding that this must move towards long term accommodation and support if we are to truly end rough sleeping for good.
“It is extremely encouraging to see the critical role of the voluntary and community fully acknowledged. We are delighted to see that the Ending Homelessness in Community Fund will receive additional funding to support the vital work of smaller and medium sized organisations across England, as well as the commitment to collaborative conversation with the VCS in shaping this work. We look forward to working with the Government to move towards a homelessness system that’s rooted in prevention and support, and making ending rough sleeping a reality.”
Liz Rutherfoord, Chief Executive, Single Homeless Project:
"This announcement is a huge step forward in ending rough sleeping for everyone - including the thousands of women in England who's rough sleeping has previously been overlooked by successive governments. Women's rough sleeping is hidden, transient and intermittent, and almost always interlinked with violence and abuse. The Prime Minister's new funding announcement and guidance to local authorities is unprecedented, as it finally puts a spotlight on women's rough sleeping, and urges local authorities to ensure that their efforts to get everyone in don't leave women behind. Linking the commitment to end rough sleeping to the pledge to halve VAWG is essential - one is not possible without the other."
Nahar Choudhury, chief executive of Solace, said:
“This is a positive step towards fulfilling government commitments to end rough sleeping and halve violence against women and girls.
“We welcome the government’s recognition that women’s experiences of rough sleeping are fundamentally different from men’s and that women are under-represented in official statistics. This guidance highlights the need for local authorities to respond in a way that reflects women’s reality.
“Violence against women and girls is a cause and consequence of having nowhere safe to stay. Encouraging the use of women-only accommodation, alongside trauma-informed support, ensures survivors of violence and abuse are not subjected to further harm.”
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