Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a £168.3 million plan to get rough sleepers off London streets by Christmas, as part of a broader £442 million national programme to eradicate rough sleeping across the UK. The initiative, named 'get everyone in for Christmas,' aims to replicate the success of the Everyone In scheme during the coronavirus pandemic, which brought thousands of rough sleepers indoors.
According to the most recent annual national statistics released by the Government in February, an estimated 4,793 people were sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2025 in England. This represents a record high and marks the fourth consecutive annual rise. At that point, 43 per cent of all rough sleepers were concentrated in London and the South East.
London rough sleeping figures show decline
More recent figures for London, published last month, revealed a 10 per cent year-on-year decline in the number of rough sleepers in the capital. Research from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain) found that 3,959 people slept rough in London between April and June this year, a reduction from 4,392 during the same period in 2025. A charity chief asserted that ending rough sleeping in London and beyond is 'within reach.'
This week, the Government pledged to 'offer everyone a route off the streets this Christmas,' though no specific timeframe has been established for how long local authorities may be expected to accommodate individuals. It is acknowledged that not every rough sleeper may choose to accept the offer.
Funding details and national summit
As well as providing emergency accommodation for rough sleepers, the £442 million programme will aim to offer practical help with housing, health and other needs. Mr Burnham has also announced plans to hold a first-of-its-kind national summit this autumn to 'bring together leaders from across society – from business, finance, charities, health, faith communities and more – to ask what role each of them can play in ending rough sleeping.'
The Prime Minister, who declared as his 'first instruction' on day one in No 10 'to end rough sleeping in our country,' said: 'No-one should have to bed down in a doorway or outside a station. But we've seen it for so long that it feels like Westminster has started to accept it.' He added: 'I won't accept it. That's why my first instruction as Prime Minister was to end rough sleeping. And it's why today we're getting started with a national drive to get everyone in for Christmas. We did it in the pandemic, we can do it again. But it needs all of us. Government will put the money in, but I'm asking leaders in communities and sectors across society to play their part locally too. Let's get people out the cold. And let's bring back hope.'
Mr Burnham has unveiled an additional £102 million, drawn from uncommitted budgets within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), to fund immediate pathways off the streets this winter. This includes an £8.4 million boost to the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund, acknowledging the vital contributions of charities, faith groups and community organisations in tackling the issue. The £102 million will complement the £340 million announced last month in funding for new support to get long-term rough sleepers into settled accommodation.
London charities receive funding
London charities being allocated funds as part of the programme include: Barka UK, Westminster (£596,181); C4WS Homeless Project, Camden (£284,462); Christ Church, Southwark PCC, Southwark (£303,092); Croydon Voluntary Action, Croydon (£664,159); Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter Limited, Waltham Forest (£624,442); Fresh Horizons CNB, Harrow (£440,000); Greater Change Foundation, Kingston, Richmond, Greenwich (£548,736); Greenwich Homeless Project, Greenwich (£318,276); Homeless Action in Barnet, Barnet (£330,997); Hope for Southall Street Homeless, Ealing (£586,281); LGBTIQ+ Outside CIC, across London (£594,322); Likewise Community, Camden (£586,400); New Horizon Youth Centre, Camden, Hillingdon, Kensington and Chelsea (£642,279); NEWway Project, Newham (£649,770); Peter Bedford Housing Association, Hackney (£599,475); RIVERBANK TRUST, Richmond (£228,091); SPEAR Housing Association Limited, Kingston (£474,197); The Margins Project, Islington (£390,291); The People's Recovery Project, Westminster, City of London (£302,500); This is GrowTH Ltd, Tower Hamlets (£458,887); Women in Prison Ltd, Lambeth (£518,530); WOMEN@THEWELL, Camden (£274,506); Woolwich Service Users Project, Greenwich (£468,758).
The MHCLG confirmed that areas facing the most acute homelessness pressures will receive the greatest proportion of support, with mayors expected to collaborate with local councils to 'play a leading role in driving local action to end rough sleeping,' including deciding what assistance is required and where. Supporting guidance will 'make clear the need to ensure adequate and accessible provision' for female rough sleepers, who the department noted are frequently underrepresented in official figures and may face heightened risks of violence, abuse and exploitation. Local authorities will be urged to 'consider single-sex accommodation with specialist, intensive and trauma-informed support, for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence,' according to the department.
Writing in The Guardian, Mr Burnham also stressed that for the plan to work, it will require communities to pull together. He said: 'I also know from my time in Manchester that public money alone won't solve this. Ending rough sleeping has to be something we all take responsibility for. That means councils, charities, businesses, faith groups and local communities all pulling together. And, even more importantly, it means all of us asking what we can do to help.' He added: 'I don't pretend this is a permanent fix – far from it. It's not enough just to help people when they fall on hard times. It's our job to catch people long before they hit the pavement, and that means dealing with the multitude of reasons why someone might be sleeping rough in the first place.'
Reactions from politicians and charities
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner commented: '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.' She added: '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.'
Ms Rayner has previously declined to put a target deadline on the Government's pledge to end rough sleeping, when asked about Mr Burnham's commitment that his Government would work to 'finally end long-term rough sleeping across the UK at the earliest opportunity.' Homelessness charities welcomed the announcement as a 'strong start' that puts the country on a path to end rough sleeping, while opposition critics said it lacked detail and substance.
Shelter chief executive Sarah Elliott commented: 'The Prime Minister's pledge to get everyone sleeping rough off the streets by Christmas is a game-changing move and exactly the kind of bold leadership needed to end the housing emergency.' She continued: 'Tackling the most visible form of homelessness is a strong start, but the almost 178,000 children hidden away in grim temporary accommodation also need somewhere to call home. The Prime Minister must apply the same unwavering ambition to delivering the council housing revolution he promised.'
Lord John Bird, crossbench peer and co-founder of the Big Issue, stated: 'Covid proved that when we decide rough sleeping is unacceptable, we can act and get people in off the streets. This Christmas commitment is a welcome return to that spirit. But it's important that people are not just brought in from the cold for a few weeks, only to be sent back out again.' He added: 'To that end, I'm encouraged to see the Prime Minister is allocating millions in tried-and-tested localised solutions that offer wraparound support for long-term rough sleepers.'
Crisis chief executive Matt Downie remarked: 'Today's announcement represents a clear statement that in the 21st century, we will not tolerate a situation where people are having to bed down on our streets. It puts us on the path to an historic milestone: the end of rough sleeping in England.' He continued: 'Where access to a home isn't possible straight away, providing good quality accommodation with a clear plan to support people into settled housing is a vital first step.'
However, Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly has criticised the plans. He said: 'Andy Burnham promised to end rough sleeping in Manchester, and failed because he didn't do the hard work necessary. Now he is pledging to end it nationally without any plan for delivery. And as with many of his other commitments, there is very little detail on how this one will be paid for.' Sir James added: 'Labour must come clean on what other programmes they are cutting to pay for this project. Otherwise, struggling families will fear that yet more Labour tax rises are on the horizon.'
Deputy Reform UK leader Richard Tice rejected the commitment as 'yet another vague announcement with no substances which uses our most vulnerable for political point-scoring.' He added: 'We'll believe it when we see it. Andy Burnham's record on homelessness has left a lot to be desired.'
Liberal Democrat housing spokesman Gideon Amos argued 'sticking plasters won't fix the homelessness crisis,' stating: 'Liberal Democrats have called for a legal 'somewhere safe to stay' duty and for councils to be given the ringfenced funding they need to give everyone a real, lasting route off the streets.' He added: 'Fundamentally, the homelessness crisis goes hand in hand with the housing crisis – so it's time for Andy Burnham to commit to the ambitious target Liberal Democrats have put forward to build 150,000 social homes per year.'
