Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a national drive to end rough sleeping by Christmas, backed by increased funding of £102 million. The combined package of £442 million, including the £340 million pledged when he entered office last month, will be geared towards ending the crisis in England.
North West allocations and programme details
According to a Labour Party spokesperson, areas facing the greatest pressures will receive the largest share of support. The North West will receive a total of £37 million under the scheme. The programme is said to be fully funded within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
As well as providing immediate support to get people off the streets, the funding is designed to deliver more than 1,000 homes over the next three years to provide rough sleepers with permanent accommodation. The funding will also provide intensive wraparound support, typically psychiatric and drug and alcohol services, to help people rebuild their lives.
Local leadership and national summit
Working alongside councils, mayors will play a leading role in driving local action and making decisions that are right for their communities. In addition, Mr Burnham will host a first-of-its-kind national summit in the autumn to bring together leaders from business, finance, charities, faith communities and more to ask what role each can play in ending rough sleeping.
The government claims the initiative will alleviate households across the country, as research from Crisis suggests preventing 40,000 people from becoming homeless for a year could save taxpayers around £370 million.
Prime Minister's statement and guidance for women
The former Mayor of Greater Manchester said: "No-one should have to bed down in a doorway or outside a station. But we’ve seen it for so long that it feels like Westminster has started to accept it. I won’t accept it. That’s why my first instruction as Prime Minister was to end rough sleeping. And it’s why today we’re getting started with a national drive to get everyone in for Christmas. We did it in the pandemic. We can do it again. But it needs all of us. Government will put the money in."
He added: "I’m asking leaders in communities and sectors across society to play their part locally too. Let’s get people out the cold. And let’s bring back hope."
The government plans to publish guidance with a focus on the need to ensure adequate and accessible provision for women experiencing rough sleeping, recognising that they are often underrepresented in official statistics and may be at greater risk of violence, abuse, and exploitation. The guidance will encourage local areas to consider single-sex accommodation with specialist, intensive and trauma-informed support for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.
North West funding allocations
The North West allocations for the £37 million funding are as follows:
- Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) - £16,955,174
- Liverpool City Region Combined Authority - £9,992,899
- Blackburn with Darwen - £1,297,194
- Blackpool - £977,343
- Burnley - £581,541
- Cheshire East - £631,649
- Cheshire West and Chester - £2,535,038
- Cumberland - £359,039
- Fylde - £182,502
- Hyndburn - £216,225
- Lancaster - £315,423
- Pendle - £198,862
- Preston - £1,325,492
- Ribble Valley - £150,000
- Warrington - £397,239
- West Lancashire - £189,137
- Westmorland and Furness - £365,147
- Wyre - £203,117
These are three-year totals covering 2026/27 to 2028/29, rather than annual figures.
