Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a pledge to end rough sleeping, backed by £340m in government funding. The announcement has been welcomed by Lloyd Cooke, chief executive of Saltbox, a faith-based homeless charity based in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.
The government funding will support the provision of 1,200 homes and "intensive support" for at least 3,000 people across England over five years.
Realistic challenges ahead
Cooke, who has led Saltbox for nearly 40 years, welcomed the pledge but urged caution about what can realistically be achieved. He said the answer to tackling rough sleeping is not simply "let's find more beds".
"These are some of the most chaotic and broken people," Cooke explained. "There needs to be some major financial commitment to enhance some services that are there."
He noted that rough sleepers often face very challenging drug and alcohol addiction and mental health issues that require specialist support.
Cooke expressed confidence in Burnham's ability to deliver, citing the Prime Minister's track record as mayor of Manchester, where he initially managed to halve rough sleeping.
National rough sleeping at record high
The latest government statistics, published in February this year, estimated 4,793 people were sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2025 in England — a new record high and the fourth consecutive annual increase.
Will Morris, director of the House of Bread, a homeless support charity based in Stafford, raised concerns that government funding must reach local providers who have "innovative options" to tackle the issue.
Morris said organisations are dealing with increasingly complex needs, particularly drug addiction and drug availability. He stressed that people facing rough sleeping need "hope" and called for community support to drive real change.
The £340m programme follows the previous government's national homelessness plan, announced in December and backed by £3.6bn funding.