UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called on local authority leaders across England to offer all rough sleepers a route off the streets by Christmas, backed by a total of £442 million allocated to a national drive to end homelessness.
A previously announced £340 million over three years is earmarked to create 1,200 new homes and support 3,000 people. An additional £102 million will be allocated to healthcare and addiction treatment, with £8.4 million directed to charities and community organizations through a dedicated fund.
Burnham compared the initiative to measures implemented during the coronavirus pandemic, when rough sleepers were housed en masse in hotels and student accommodation. Figures from autumn 2025 show that the number of people sleeping rough in England reached 4,793.
Authorities do not plan to forcibly remove people from the streets, and no legislative changes are planned to guarantee housing for all who request it. Prime ministerial advisers acknowledge that some people may still be sleeping rough by Christmas, but they expect to make tangible progress.
Charity representatives welcomed the government's decision but stressed that fully resolving the crisis requires tackling the issue of temporary accommodation, which currently houses nearly 178,000 children.
