On his first day as prime minister, Andy Burnham promised to end rough sleeping, and pledged an additional £340 million to the cause. A positive aim for society, to be sure, but what he didn’t mention is that we’ve nearly solved this before. The question isn’t whether ending rough sleeping is desirable or achievable, it’s why previous attempts have collapsed.
On a single night in England last autumn, 4,793 people slept rough. This was a 96% increase since 2021; 171% since 2010. A further 134,210 households, among them 175,000 children, spent that same night in temporary accommodation.
