A month after his first order as prime minister, Andy Burnham today, 19 August, announced the launch of a nationwide campaign to eradicate homelessness, pledging immediate action to
give everyone in need the opportunity to come off the streets by Christmas, backed by an additional £442 million in funding.
New accommodation and support programmes will be rolled out across England this winter, drawing on innovative approaches developed during the pandemic.
Alongside emergency accommodation designed to end the need for people to sleep rough, the programme, fully funded through the budgets of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), will provide practical help with housing, healthcare and other needs, helping people build more stable futures.
The prime minister also announced that he will host the first national summit of its kind this autumn, bringing together leaders from across society — including business, finance, charities, healthcare, faith communities and others — to discuss the role each can play in ending homelessness.
The plans are expected not only to transform the lives of people given somewhere to sleep and the foundation to rebuild their lives, but also to deliver significant benefits to the country as a whole. Research by homelessness charity Crisis shows that preventing 40,000 people from becoming homeless over the course of a year could save taxpayers around £370 million.
In addition to helping people move off the streets, the funding will enable local areas to provide more than 1,000 permanent homes over the next three years, alongside intensive, integrated support to help people rebuild their lives.
The largest share of funding will go to areas facing the greatest pressures, while communities across England will receive support to tackle homelessness locally.
Working alongside councils, mayors will play a leading role in driving local action to end homelessness and making decisions that best reflect the needs of their communities, ensuring support reaches those who need it most.
Alongside the funding announcement, the government is publishing guidance to help local authorities mobilise quickly and ensure a consistent approach to providing accommodation and getting people off the streets this winter. Photo by Philafrenzy, Wikimedia commons.
