Britain's new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has pledged to provide accommodation for everyone sleeping rough in England by Christmas, announcing additional funding to tackle homelessness.
Since taking office on 20 July, Burnham has repeatedly vowed that no one should be forced to sleep on the streets, echoing a commitment he previously made, with mixed results, during his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester.
The programme includes an emergency funding package of £102 million (around €120 million), on top of the £340 million (about €397 million) already announced. Responsibility for managing the funding will rest with local authorities.
"Local officials will decide what kind of support is most needed in their communities," the prime minister said.
The funding will support 3,000 people over the next five years and provide 1,200 homes over the next three years to help rough sleepers secure permanent accommodation.
The programme will also offer support services, including mental health assistance and alcohol and drug rehabilitation programmes, aimed at helping people rebuild their lives.
Speaking to The Guardian, Burnham said seeing people sleeping rough had become so common that it now "looks like part of the landscape". He pledged to launch a campaign modelled on the government's response during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure there are no rough sleepers on England's streets this winter.
In March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, the Everyone In initiative helped around 37,000 people, providing accommodation in hotels and emergency facilities.
"We did it during the pandemic. We got people in from the cold because, as a country, we decided it had to be done. We can do it again," Burnham wrote in The Guardian.
The Labour leader also announced a special conference on homelessness to be held this autumn, bringing together businesses, charities, faith organisations and local officials.
The measures were welcomed cautiously by aid organisations. The charity Shelter praised what it described as "a change of direction" but urged the government to address the wider housing crisis and noted that nearly 178,000 children are living in temporary accommodation.
Opposition parties were more critical. The Conservatives said the announcement lacked an implementation plan and detailed funding arrangements, while Reform UK described the pledge as "vague".
Government figures show that the number of people sleeping rough in England reached a record 4,793 in 2025.
Meanwhile, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) expects homelessness to increase by 25% by 2030.
More broadly, 382,000 people in England were without permanent housing in 2025, according to Shelter.
