The Labour Government has announced a further £432 million to tackle rough sleeping, bringing the total investment in its national drive to £874 million. The additional funding aims to ensure that everyone sleeping rough is offered a route off the streets before Christmas, with support continuing beyond the winter months to help people find secure accommodation and rebuild their lives.
Latest figures show that an estimated 9,000 people experienced rough sleeping across England during June this year, with almost 4,000 sleeping rough on a single night. The Government has brought together councils, housing providers, charities and businesses to help tackle the problem, including through the first Rough Sleeping Summit at Downing Street.
This new investment sits alongside the Government’s wider National Plan to End Homelessness and its £39 billion commitment to social and affordable housing. I am pleased that this Labour Government is taking action to tackle both the immediate crisis of rough sleeping and the longer-term causes of homelessness.