Funding set to double for plan to get rough sleepers off streets by Christmas

More than 30 organisations have pledged support for Burnham’s plan with new partnerships, including commercial businesses and charities, who will be attending Monday’s summit.

Initial funding has seen specialist outreach teams and new bed spaces operating in Coventry, with further provision being rolled out in places including Plymouth and Camden in north London over the coming weeks.

The National Housing Federation will now work with housing associations to identify at least 2,000 potential homes and bed spaces, including empty properties that could be brought back into use.

However, questions remain about whether the scale of accommodation currently identified will be sufficient. It is not yet clear how many of the 2,000 homes and bedspaces represent self-contained units and how many could accommodate multiple people.

While homelessness organisations have welcomed the government’s focus on rough sleeping, many have urged ministers to go further in the Budget.

Leaders from 40 organisations across the housing and homelessness sector signed an open letter last week calling on the government to restore Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates so they continue to reflect local rents, arguing this would help prevent homelessness in the first place and reduce reliance on temporary accommodation.

The Resolution Foundation estimates that more than 1.1 million low income renters now face shortfalls between their housing benefit and their actual rent, with the gap expected to reach a record high this October.

It argues that relinking LHA to local rents would primarily benefit struggling tenants and help keep more people in their homes.

Housing organisations say that while helping people already sleeping rough is essential, preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place will be critical if the government’s longer-term ambition is to succeed.