PRESS RELEASE : Funding to help hundreds of rough sleepers off streets [January 2024]

Hundreds of rough sleepers will be helped off the streets and into long term settled accommodation thanks to over £17 million of government funding. The money has been given to local authorities across England most in need so they can provide more bed spaces for people who are sleeping rough this winter and more long-term secure accommodation.

London boroughs including Hammersmith, Lambeth and Greenwich collectively received over £3 million, with all local authorities in the capital able to benefit. Nottingham City Council received over £400,000, Bristol City Council over £300,000 and Hastings & Eastbourne Borough Councils almost £250,000.

This brings the total funding for the Rough Sleeping Initiative to over £547 million and forms just one part of a wider package of support backed by over £2 billion of government funding over 3 years. This includes helping individuals find work, manage their finances and access mental and physical health services.

Minister for Rough Sleeping Felicity Buchan said:

As the cold weather continues this winter, our mission to help people off the streets is even more urgent. We are determined to deliver our manifesto pledge to end rough sleeping and today’s announcement demonstrates our continuing commitment to supporting the most vulnerable in our society with access to a safe and warm home, backed by over £2 billion of government funding over 3 years.

The winter period is particularly high-risk for individuals who are sleeping rough, increasing the demand for immediate ‘off the street’ accommodation so the funding package includes £4 million available to local authorities facing the greatest pressures in rough sleeping in England.

Meanwhile over 1,000 people have been housed through the Housing First Pilots in Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester, and the West Midlands Combined Authority, providing long term housing for the homeless. The scheme has reported that the vast majority using the scheme (92%) found a home within a year and said they feel safer, less likely to be a victim of crime and less likely to be involved in antisocial behaviour.

Further information

• The StreetLink campaign is now running which enables members of the public to alert local council outreach workers if they see someone sleeping rough. Investment from government has made it simpler than ever for people to support a person sleeping rough off the streets and into safe accommodation. See more here: StreetLink – Connecting people sleeping rough to local services (thestreetlink.org.uk)
• The government has a manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping in this parliament. This means rough sleeping is prevented wherever possible and, where it cannot be prevented, it is a rare, brief and non-recurring experience.
• Our manifesto also committed to pilot Housing First in 3 urban areas with contrasting challenges: Greater Manchester, West Midlands and Liverpool City Region. The programme was initially allocated £28 million of government funding, but in May 2022, they secured an additional £13.9 million in funding to drive forward the programme’s legacy.