Emergency cash tripled for rough sleepers this winter
Source: gov.uk (2025-01-20)

The government is tripling the Rough Sleeping Winter Pressures Funding from £10 million to £30 million.

- Winter funding tripled to protect more rough sleepers from cold weather
- An extra £20 million for over 280 councils to provide warm beds for those sleeping rough long term
- Supporting the government’s Plan for Change to deliver safe and secure housing for all
More rough sleepers will be helped off the streets and provided warm beds this winter thanks to new emergency funding given to local councils today.

The Rough Sleeping Winter Pressures Funding, a government scheme to increase the use of emergency accommodation for rough sleepers, will be tripled from £10 million to £30 million. The cash will go directly into areas with record levels of rough sleeping, ultimately saving lives and supporting thousands of vulnerable people in society facing the cold weather.

Those experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping are 8 to 12 times more likely to die prematurely, particularly from chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and those sleeping rough during winter are at even greater risk of ill health and long-term sickness.

Over 280 councils, including all London boroughs, will now have extra resources at their disposal to support frontline workers providing vital services on the ground, which will see more people sleeping rough into safe and secure accommodation with warm beds, hot meals and medical treatment.

The new funding will also continue supporting specialist programmes for vulnerable groups sleeping rough including veterans, care leavers and victims of domestic abuse. This is alongside giving lifechanging support to people who have slept rough long-term, with critical outreach staff helping to address substance abuse and provide employment opportunities.

Minister for Homelessness, Rushanara Ali said:

“Behind every sad rough sleeping statistic, there is a person who has been let down by the system for far too long. This government is more determined than ever to turn the tide on years of failure to properly invest in our frontline services.

“That is why I am tripling the emergency funding from £10 million to £30 million for councils to help the most vulnerable into safe and secure housing with warm beds, hot meals, and specialist care.

“Through our Plan for Change we are already taking urgent action to tackle the worst housing crisis in living memory, delivering the biggest boost in social and affordable housing in a generation and getting us back on track to end homelessness for good.”

A sharp rise in rough sleeping in recent years represents a complete failure in the housing crisis inherited by the government, with almost 360,000 households approaching their council for help with homelessness over the last year.

Today’s emergency cash injection is just one branch of the government’s Plan for Change to raise living standards for working people and families, deliver the biggest boost in affordable and social housing in a generation, and strengthen rights and protections for tenants.

It builds on the largest-ever investment in homelessness prevention services of almost £1 billion for this year, including over £185 million for the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant, so councils can better prioritise when providing warm beds and shelter for people at risk, or experiencing, rough sleeping.

This is alongside more than £37 million for the Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme that will cover ongoing costs to help rough sleepers into longer term housing and secure more specialist staff supporting their mental health and substance abuse problems.

A new dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group is also bringing together ministers to develop a long-term strategy across the healthcare, justice and education systems, as part of the government’s wider drive to tackle the root causes of rough sleeping and get the country back on track to ending homelessness for good.

One of the leading causes of homelessness, Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, will be abolished for new and existing tenancies through the landmark Renters’ Rights Bill which is now another step closer to becoming law following last week’s third reading.

Through overdue reforms to the Right to Buy scheme councils can now retain all receipts from sales to build and buy more homes as well as receiving an additional £450 million last year to secure and create homes for families at risk of homelessness.

Government investment in housing has now increased to £5 billion for this year, including an extra £500 million for the existing Affordable Homes Programme to build tens of thousands of affordable homes across the country.

Further information

The government previously announced (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/emergency-fund-launched-for-rough-sleepers-this-winter) an emergency £10 million package for the Rough Sleeping Winter Pressures Funding last November.