UK Pledges £102M to End Rough Sleeping by Christmas

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to offer every rough sleeper in England a route off the streets by Christmas, announcing an additional £102 million in funding to support the immediate initiative. The announcement, made on August 19, 2026, represents a significant escalation of the government's efforts to tackle homelessness, seeking to replicate the emergency "Everyone In" scheme deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new funding, drawn from uncommitted budgets within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, includes an £8.4 million boost to the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund for charities and community organisations. This brings the total committed for immediate winter measures to £442 million, combining the new £102 million with the £340 million announced in July for longer-term support to move rough sleepers into settled accommodation over three years.

Burnham framed the pledge as a moral imperative, arguing that rough sleeping has become an accepted part of the urban landscape. "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. I won't...