Funding to provide up to 4,300 additional beds to help people off
the streets has been announced as the Government marks the
anniversary of its landmark Rough Sleeping Strategy.
The cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy - backed by £2
billion and building on significant action already taken by the
government – was announced in September 2022.
To mark its anniversary, the Department of Levelling Up,
Communities and Housing (DLUHC) has today announced new Rough
Sleeping Initiative allocations totalling £34.6 million. This
money will go to areas most in need of support to help get people
off the street more quickly; provide more move-on accommodation;
help people keep their tenancies; and provide tailored support.
This funding is on top of the original allocation of up to £500
million over 3 years, announced earlier this year, which has
already helped to provide 14,000 beds for rough sleepers and
3,000 staff to provide tailored support across England. This
includes helping individuals find work, manage their finances and
access mental and physical health services.
The government has a manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping
in this parliament. This means rough sleeping is prevented
wherever possible and, where it cannot be prevented, it is a
rare, brief and non-recurring experience.
Minister for Rough Sleeping said:
“One year on from the launch of our ground-breaking strategy we
remain as committed as ever to ending rough sleeping.
“The full weight of government remains behind this very important
pledge, and this can be seen in today’s funding boost to provide
thousands more beds and hundreds more support staff into the
heart of communities where they are most needed.”
Rough Sleeping Initiative 2022-25 funding forms just one part of
a wider package of support for rough sleepers and falls within
the £2 billion this Government has committed to spend over three
years to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. The wider
package of support includes:
- Homelessness Prevention Grant: In excess of £1 billion
flexible finding is being provided over three years to support
councils to offer financial support for people to find a new home
or to work with landlords to prevent evictions.
- Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme: This £433 million
scheme will deliver 6,000 homes for people with histories of
sleeping rough or those at risk of sleeping rough.
- Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme: Announced
earlier this year, this new £200 million programme aims to
deliver up to 2,400 homes, with funding for the necessary
wrap-around support tailored to individua needs for three years
- Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant: We are
providing funding of up to £186.5 million over this spending
review period for substance misuse treatment. This investment has
expanded these vital services to an additional 20 areas, bringing
the total to 83 areas and 5 cross-London projects.
- Housing First Pilots: Our manifesto committed to pilot
Housing First in three urban areas with contrasting challenges:
Greater Manchester, West Midlands and Liverpool City Region. The
programme was initially allocated £28 million of Government
funding, but in May 2022, they secured an additional £13.9
million in funding to drive forward the programme’s legacy.
- Accommodation for Ex-Offenders: This supports prison leavers
at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies. Over £42
million is being provided to local authorities in England,
helping people with rental deposits, landlord incentives, and
dedicated support staff, supporting 2,750 ex-offenders into their
own homes in the private rented sector
- The Night Shelter Transformation Fund - a £13 million
commitment over three years, aimed at small- to medium-sized
faith and community organisations, providing accommodation and
support to people who are homeless or sleeping rough.
- Voluntary & Community Sector Capacity Fund: £7.3 million
funding to boost working across statutory, commissioned, and
non-commissioned services and increase the capacity and skills of
the sector through workforce support and training.
