£200m in next stage of rough sleeping programme

Robert Jenrick has announced that more rough sleepers are set to be helped off the streets and into safe accommodation thanks to a further £203 million funding.

The Housing Secretary said that the funding will be allocated to councils across England and will support vital projects such as shelters, specialist mental health or addiction services, and targeted support to help rough sleepers off the streets for good. It is expected that the investment will be used by councils, charities and other local groups to fund up to 14,500 bed spaces and 2,700 support staff across England.

Analysis of the Rough Sleeping Initiative – now in its fourth year – shows that the programme has reduced rough sleeping by almost a third compared to areas which have not taken part in the programme.

According to the government, the number of people sleeping rough across England has fallen for the third year in a row, and by 37 per cent in the last year alone.

Jenrick said: “At the beginning of the pandemic we took swift and decisive action to bring rough sleepers in from the streets and settled them into longer-term accommodation in record numbers. That work continues, the results are clear and are a huge credit to all involved.

“Ending rough sleeping is a personal mission for the Prime Minister and me – and we have made huge progress since he came into No.10, reducing rough sleeping by 43 per cent. To build on this progress, we are making the biggest ever investment under the Rough Sleeping Initiative to provide vital services to those who need it most, as part of our drive to end rough sleeping for good.”

David Renard, Local Government Association housing spokesperson, said: “It is good the Government continues to support councils with this latest round of funding to tackle rough sleeping. We want to work with government on a cross-departmental homelessness prevention strategy to make the success in getting rough sleepers off the streets during the pandemic the new normal, rather than a one-off emergency response, and end rough sleeping.

“To prevent homelessness from happening in the first place, councils will need long-term funding issued through multi-year settlements to give them the certainty they need to plan local services.

“There should also be a renewed focus on investing in homelessness prevention services, ensuring councils have the resources to support households at risk of homelessness, including restoration of welfare funding to at least £250 million a year and a review of the Discretionary Housing Payment scheme. Clear guidance on whether councils can support homeless adults with No Recourse to Public Funds as we move through the roadmap will also help to ensure that everyone who is vulnerable can access help if needed, regardless of immigration status.”