PM Pledges to Get Thousands of Rough Sleepers Off The Streets by Christmas

In an article for the Guardian, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced that the government would be putting £442 million into a national drive to get thousands of homeless people off the streets by Christmas, setting up emergency accommodation and providing support for any health needs. 

The UK has the worst homelessness in the western world, with roughly 4,793 people recorded sleeping rough in a single night last autumn. And this figure doesn't account for homeless people who are ‘hidden’, such as those who sleep in cars or on other people’s sofas. 

Ending rough sleeping was one of Burnham's first pledges when he came to power in July, and it's long been a focus of his. In 2020 when he was Mayor of Manchester, he launched a scheme called Everyone In during the COVID pandemic, which saw around 37,000 rough sleepers be given temporary accommodation in places like hotels, B&Bs and rentals.

Chief executive of the charity Shelter, Sarah Elliott said of his recent announcement: “The prime minister’s pledge to get everyone sleeping rough off the streets by Christmas is a game-changing move and exactly the kind of bold leadership needed to end the housing emergency… but the almost 178,000 children hidden away in grim temporary accommodation also need somewhere to call home. The prime minister must apply the same unwavering ambition to delivering the council housing revolution he promised.”

Written by Jorja Flitcroft