PRESS RELEASE : Thousands more beds to help rough sleepers off the streets [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 4 September 2023.

£34.6 million awarded across London and over 70 other areas to support rough sleepers.

Funding to provide up to 4,300 additional beds to help people off the streets has been announced as the Government marks the anniversary of its landmark Rough Sleeping Strategy.

The cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy – backed by £2 billion and building on significant action already taken by the government – was announced in September 2022.

To mark its anniversary, the Department of Levelling Up, Communities and Housing (DLUHC) has today announced new Rough Sleeping Initiative allocations totalling £34.6 million. This money will go to areas most in need of support to help get people off the street more quickly; provide more move-on accommodation; help people keep their tenancies; and provide tailored support.

This funding is on top of the original allocation of up to £500 million over 3 years, announced earlier this year, which has already helped to provide 14,000 beds for rough sleepers and 3,000 staff to provide tailored support across England. This includes helping individuals find work, manage their finances and access mental and physical health services.

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.

Minister for Rough Sleeping Felicity Buchan said:

“One year on from the launch of our ground-breaking strategy we remain as committed as ever to ending rough sleeping.

“The full weight of government remains behind this very important pledge, and this can be seen in today’s funding boost to provide thousands more beds and hundreds more support staff into the heart of communities where they are most needed.”

Rough Sleeping Initiative 2022-25 funding forms just one part of a wider package of support for rough sleepers and falls within the £2 billion this Government has committed to spend over three years to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. The wider package of support includes:

• Homelessness Prevention Grant: In excess of £1 billion flexible finding is being provided over three years to support councils to offer financial support for people to find a new home or to work with landlords to prevent evictions.
• Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme: This £433 million scheme will deliver 6,000 homes for people with histories of sleeping rough or those at risk of sleeping rough.
• Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme: Announced earlier this year, this new £200 million programme aims to deliver up to 2,400 homes, with funding for the necessary wrap-around support tailored to individua needs for three years
• Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant: We are providing funding of up to £186.5 million over this spending review period for substance misuse treatment. This investment has expanded these vital services to an additional 20 areas, bringing the total to 83 areas and 5 cross-London projects.
• Housing First Pilots: Our manifesto committed to pilot Housing First in three 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.
• Accommodation for Ex-Offenders: This supports prison leavers at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies. Over £42 million is being provided to local authorities in England, helping people with rental deposits, landlord incentives, and dedicated support staff, supporting 2,750 ex-offenders into their own homes in the private rented sector
• The Night Shelter Transformation Fund – a £13 million commitment over three years, aimed at small- to medium-sized faith and community organisations, providing accommodation and support to people who are homeless or sleeping rough.
• Voluntary & Community Sector Capacity Fund: £7.3 million funding to boost working across statutory, commissioned, and non-commissioned services and increase the capacity and skills of the sector through workforce support and training.