Further support for rough sleepers over winter

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has announced that £66 million will provide safe and warm accommodation over winter for rough sleepers.

Building on the success of the Everyone In initiative, the support will help rough sleepers off the streets at a time of year when they face falling temperatures and give them an opportunity to turn their lives around by ending the cycle of addiction.

The government has pledged to end rough sleeping by 2024. It has said that £640 million will be invested each year over the next three years to tackle the issue – a 85 per cent increase in funding compared to 2019.

Eddie Hughes, Minister for Rough Sleeping, said: “Rough sleepers are some of the most vulnerable people in our society and we must help them off the streets and end the plight of rough sleeping once and for all. That means providing somewhere safe and warm for them to stay, and this funding will be a lifeline for thousands as the temperature drops this winter. We are also helping those trapped in drug and alcohol addiction and giving them the stability they need to turn their lives around.”

Programmes and projects to benefit from the announcement include funding a street-based psychologist in Leeds, who refers rough sleepers to mental health and substance misuse services and a drop-in clinic in the city centre which also provides specialist support. The government will also be funding the Westminster Rough Sleepers Drug and Alcohol Service, ensuring rough sleepers can access treatment programmes. Support is also provided for rough sleepers to access education, employment, or training once they have completed treatment.