Angela Rayner has announced a £442 million package to help people sleeping rough into accommodation and provide longer-term support, as the Labour Government steps up its drive to end long-term rough sleeping.
The Housing Secretary said the funding would give people sleeping on the streets in England a route into accommodation this winter, while providing secure homes and intensive support for those with more complex needs.
The announcement follows Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s commitment, made on his first day in Downing Street, to end long-term rough sleeping at the earliest opportunity.
Writing on X, Rayner said:
“When the Prime Minister pledged to end rough sleeping, we said we’d move urgently from words to action. Today we’re delivering on that promise.
“This funding will help thousands of people leave the streets behind, move into secure homes and get the support they need to rebuild their lives.”
The £442 million will be directed towards areas facing the greatest pressures, with councils, mayors and other local leaders given a central role in deciding how resources are used. The approach reflects the Government’s emphasis on devolving decisions and allowing local areas to invest in interventions that have proved effective in their communities.
Writing for LBC, Rayner pointed to Burnham’s record in Greater Manchester, where the former mayor worked across the region’s ten local authorities on tackling homelessness, as an example of how devolved action can be used to address rough sleeping.
The new package comes on top of £3.6 billion already committed through the Government’s National Plan to End Homelessness, which includes a commitment to end the unlawful use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families.
Rayner acknowledged that despite recent figures showing some improvement, the number of households living in temporary accommodation remains far too high.
She contrasted the Government’s approach with the previous Conservative administration, noting that rough sleeping more than doubled during the last Parliament despite a previous pledge to end it by 2024.
Labour has already introduced wider reforms intended to address some of the causes of homelessness. The Government has repealed the Vagrancy Act, which criminalised rough sleeping, while the Renters’ Rights Act has abolished Section 21 “no-fault” evictions.
Rayner also pointed to the record of the last Labour government, under which rough sleeping fell by around two-thirds, arguing that determined action across government can substantially reduce homelessness.
The Housing Secretary said the latest investment was intended not simply to provide emergency accommodation but to help people move towards secure housing and access the support necessary to rebuild their lives.
“Working alongside councils, mayors and charities, we’re backing local areas to tackle rough sleeping at its roots, giving people the security, dignity and opportunity they deserve, and restoring hope to those who have been let down for far too long,” Rayner wrote.
She added that the Government would “do what it takes to get people off the streets for good” and ensure people have the security and dignity of a roof over their heads.
The intervention underlines the Burnham Government’s intention to make homelessness a major domestic priority, combining immediate action ahead of the winter with longer-term housing and renters’ reforms designed to prevent people becoming homeless in the first place.
