Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged that every person sleeping rough in England will be offered housing by Christmas, backed by a national programme worth £442 million. The funding includes £102 million in additional money drawn from unspent housing department budgets, earmarked for emergency accommodation, medical care, addiction support and the delivery of more than 1,000 homes over three years.
The initiative targets a problem that has grown sharply: a record 4,793 people were counted sleeping on the streets in England in autumn 2025, a 96% increase over five years. Burnham, who previously pursued similar efforts as mayor of Greater Manchester, will convene a national summit this autumn to rally businesses, charities and faith groups behind the drive.
Reaction was largely positive but not unanimous. Shelter's chief executive Sarah Elliott called the commitment a "game-changing move", and Crisis said it put the country on a path to ending homelessness. Shadow housing secretary James Cleverly, however, criticised a lack of detail on the funding.