Burnham commits extra £432m to end rough sleeping in England by Christmas

A further £432m for the programme

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has committed an extra £432m to tackling rough sleeping, a sum Chancellor John Healey is due to confirm in his Budget statement on Wednesday, 28 October. The figure was unveiled in announcements on Sunday, 25 October, and the government says it will double the funding pot for homelessness in England. Figures for the overall total differ: most give £874m, while one account puts the combined amount at nearly £900m, counting an initial £442m from Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government budgets to be spent before March 2027. The money is intended to keep outreach teams, emergency beds and longer-term housing help running beyond this winter.

Earlier commitment442

Budget addition432

Total programme874

Earlier commitment

442 £m

Budget addition

432 £m

Total programme

874 £m

Data from the article text

A deadline two months away

Burnham pledged in August that every rough sleeper in England would be offered a route off the streets before Christmas, and with two months left, new provision is being pushed out in several places. Specialist outreach teams and new accommodation are already operating in Coventry, while Plymouth and Camden are due to receive more provision over the coming weeks. The most recent annual national estimate counted 4,793 people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2025 in England. Burnham has pointed to Greater Manchester, where schemes such as A Bed Every Night cut the number of rough sleepers before the figure rose again, a rise he linked to people travelling to the city for the support on offer.

Burnham framed the issue as a matter of political choice rather than an unavoidable condition.

“Rough sleeping isn't a fact of life. It's a thing governments either choose to accept or don't.”

Summit and pledges from business and charities

Downing Street will host a summit on Monday, 26 October, where charities, companies, housing bodies and local leaders are expected to back the strategy. Under the plan, the National Housing Federation will work with housing associations to find at least 2,000 potential homes and bed spaces, some of them empty buildings that could return to use. L'Oréal is launching a social salon scheme with St Mungo's and Haircuts4Homeless aimed at the wellbeing of people sleeping rough, and Virgin Media O2 will supply digital support to groups working with homeless people. Other attendees include the Salvation Army, Ikea, the Morrisons Foundation and Comic Relief.

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner accepted that the goal is ambitious but said ministers would not retreat from it.

“We will not back down from making sure everyone has the offer of a route off the streets this Christmas.”

What else is on the Budget agenda

Reports ahead of the Budget say Healey plans a time-limited cost of living package aimed mainly at lower-income households to help with winter energy bills. A planned rise in fuel duty next year is expected to be shelved. The chancellor is also expected to raise revenue through a higher profits surcharge on banks and higher taxes on the gambling sector, after absorbing higher borrowing costs linked to the Iran war by drawing on the £23.6bn of headroom left by Rachel Reeves. Healey has described the Budget as straightforward. Other announcements include £285mn for local leaders across England to support growth, a £7mn fund to explore a future bid for the Olympic Games in the 2040s and an extra £1bn for social housing.