Government today publishes landmark £2 billion Rough Sleeping Strategy to drive forward manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping for good
Thousands of people living on the streets will be given a roof over their heads and tailored support to rebuild their lives under landmark government plans to end rough sleeping.
The cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy is backed by £2 billion and builds on the significant action already taken by the government, which has driven a 43% drop in rough sleeping since 2019 and rough sleeping has fallen to an 8-year low. As a result, England now one of the lowest rough sleeping rates in the world.
In this year’s Spending Review we announced we are spending £2 billion over the course of this parliament to end rough sleeping and tackle homelessness – today’s strategy sets the key funding allocations, totalling £764 million.
This includes up to £500 million over 3 years for the Rough Sleeping Initiative, which this year will help 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.
An extra 2,400 long-term supported homes for those with the most complex needs, including young people, will also be provided, through our new £200 million Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme. This is on top of 3,200 homes that have already been delivered.
To break the cycle of addiction and rough sleeping, the government is also expanding its Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant programme to an additional 20 areas in England, bringing the total to 83. The scheme provides funding for substance misuse treatment services for people sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough.
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.
The government is also extending the Housing First Pilots in the West Midlands, Manchester and Liverpool, which give homeless people with multiple and complex needs access to independent long-term housing as a secure and stable platform from which other issues can be addressed.
Thousands of prison leavers at risk of homelessness will also be helped into rental accommodation as part of an expanded government scheme designed to reduce reoffending and tackle rough sleeping.
The second phase of the Accommodation for Ex-Offenders programme – to be launched later this year as part of this strategy – will help councils provide rental deposits, landlord incentives and dedicated support staff.
It builds on the 2021/22 scheme, which helped 145 councils across England and Wales provide the much-needed support. With prison leavers without a stable home around 50% more likely to reoffend, the scheme will help cut crime by reducing the number of prison leavers ending up homeless so that they have the foundation to get a job and access treatment for addictions.
And the government is helping to put night shelters on a more secure and stable footing by increasing the variety and quality of services so they can be relied on for the long term.
To improve transparency and accountability for the mission to end rough sleeping, the government will publish quarterly data showing progress.
Finally, as part of our support we are repealing the outdated Vagrancy Act as no-one should be criminalised simply for having nowhere to live. However, to ensure we don’t weaken the ability of police to protect the public and communities from crime and anti-social behaviour we are considering bringing forward new legislation, while also embedding rehabilitation and support at the heart of our approach.
- Rough Sleeping Initiative
The Rough Sleeping Initiative is the government’s flagship programme to drive the manifesto commitment to end rough sleeping. Up to £500 million will help provide emergency beds, off-the-street accommodation and wrap-around support.
- Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme
The Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme, announced in 2020, is backed by up to £433 million over the lifetime of this parliament. This funding will provide up to 6,000 homes for rough sleepers. Once in their new home, rough sleepers will be supported by specialist staff to access the help they need, such as support for mental health and substance abuse problems, moving towards training and work.
From the total budget of the programme, £39.4 million will continue the work of providing a roof over people’s heads and the support they need to sustain it.
- Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme
Many areas need more accommodation with suitable support for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage, both long-term and good quality hostel accommodation, as well as specialist accommodation for young people (under 25) who are already experiencing rough sleeping or are at risk.
This is why the government is introducing the Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme (SHAP), a new £200 million fund, which will deliver up to 2,400 homes by March 2025, including supported housing and Housing First accommodation, and accommodation for young people at risk of homelessness, including rough sleeping.
- Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant
Since 2020/21 the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant has provided £50 million for substance misuse treatment services for people sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough. This includes evidence-based drug and alcohol treatment and wraparound support to improve access to treatment, including for people with additional mental health needs.
The government will provide extra investment of up to £186.5 million over the spending review period, expanding these vital services to 20 more areas, bringing the total to 83 areas and 5 pan-London projects. This includes an investment of £15 million announced as part of the cross-government Drug Strategy.
- Housing First Pilots
Housing First supports homeless people with multiple and complex needs to access and maintain independent housing. Unlike traditional ‘staircase’ or ‘treatment first’ approaches, it places people directly in independent long-term settled housing, with personalised, flexible and non-time-limited support. This gives people choice and control over both their housing and the support they receive – secure housing offers a stable platform from which other issues can addressed, rather than setting preconditions such as being ‘housing ready’ or participating in treatment.
We are extending our Housing First Pilots in the West Midlands, Manchester, and Liverpool, providing a further £13.9 million over 2 years on top of the £28 million already invested.
- Voluntary, Community and Frontline Sector programme
Up to £7.3 million will ensure local rough sleeping services have the tools they need to end rough sleeping and develop prevention services to stop people arriving on the streets in the first place.
- Streetlink
We will revitalise this initiative, which enables people to connect local services with somebody they see sleeping rough, with new investment to improve the website and make it more user friendly.
- Night Shelter Transformation Fund
Help for faith and community groups to develop night shelter services, to expand high-quality single-room accommodation and move-on support for rough sleepers. DLUHC will work with Homeless Link and Housing Justice to help organisations, with up to £10 million of funding across 2022-2025.
This fund aims to transform the sector for the long term, with a wider range of services, partner organisations on a firmer footing and less reliance on government funding to meet core costs.
- Transparency and data-led Framework
We are committed to ending rough sleeping – this means rough sleeping will be prevented wherever possible or, where it cannot be prevented, be a rare, brief and non-recurring experience. In practice this approach, developed in consultation with experts at the Centre for Homelessness Impact, means more effective support to prevent rough sleeping from happening in the first place, and a tailored offer of support where it does, so people can build an independent life off the streets.
To hold the government and local leaders to account and measure progress, we will publish quarterly data to set out how the government and its partners are delivering on this mission.
