Additional £340m to help extend schemes running in Greater Manchester – though critics question how effect these have really been.
In his first speech as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham has pledged to end homelessness ‘at the earliest opportunity’.
Photo by Jon Tyson / Unsplash
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, Mr Burnham said: ‘On my first day as prime minister, I’m announcing this government’s commitment to finally end long-term rough sleeping across the UK at the earliest opportunity. We’ll get to work immediately, bringing together national and local government with the investment needed to get it done.’
Officials have since confirmed that an additional £340m over three years will be allocated to extend schemes run in Greater Manchester where Mr Burnham was mayor, and replicating the success of the ‘Everyone In’ scheme that ran during the Covid pandemic. The money will come from unused areas of the housing department budget, and will pay for 1,200 new homes and support for some 3,000 people over five years.
The initial focus will be on helping long-term rough sleepers into secure housing, including acquiring suitable properties, identifying those most in need and beginning support without delay. Further details of the scheme are expected to be announced soon.
Before his speech, Mr Burnham met with people who have direct experience of sleeping rough, and said that the thousands of people sleeping rough each night was not inevitable; it was the result of political choices.
The previous Labour government had previously allocated £3.5bn in a bid to halve rates of homelessness.
Officials say the approach draws on research suggesting a year of rough sleeping costs around £20,128 per person, compared with £1,426 for a successful prevention intervention. Councils, mayors, the NHS and other public services will be given backing to deliver urgent support before winter, building on local schemes already shown to reduce rough sleeping.
Yet some have suggested that the interventions in Greater Manchester were not as successful as claimed. James Cleverley, shadow housing minister, responds: ‘His record in Manchester showed initial success, then failure once his focus shifted. It looks like he’s taking money from local projects to fund this announcement, so lots of the country will be disappointed.’
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