Britain must end the scandal of rough sleeping - and our £442m investment will help make it happen, writes Angela Rayner
Angela Rayner says Labour’s £442m package is the urgent first step towards ending long-term rough sleeping, after years of Conservative failure
I can’t tell you how inspired I was to hear Andy Burnham, on his first day as prime minister, announce this government’s commitment to finally end long-term rough sleeping across the UK at the earliest opportunity.
Listen to this article
No more accepting that it’s the norm to walk past people bedding down in doorways in Britain in the 21st century. It’s a signal not only of intent – but of moral purpose.
We all saw how this crisis exploded under the Tories.
Rough sleeping more than doubled during the last Parliament, despite Conservative promises to end it by 2024.
This terrible legacy has made ending rough sleeping for good all the more challenging – but certainly not impossible.
It’s given us a choice about the kind of country we want to be.
And I’m really proud to be back as Housing Secretary, working as part of Andy’s team, to build a country in which no one is written off, and everyone can have hope for the future.
Incredible efforts to help people off the streets during the pandemic showed that where there’s a will, there’s a way. And we’re cracking on with that same urgency to get everyone in this winter.
Today, we’re announcing a massive £442 million package of support that means that everybody should have a route off the street this winter in England, with the rollout of a new offer of accommodation and support.
Beyond this, there will be secure homes and intensive help for those who need it most, as part of a drive to end long-term rough sleeping.
This money will go to the cities, towns and areas from the north to the south and east to west where pressures are most acute and will be spent by local leaders on what’s proven to work best in their areas – just as Andy did as Mayor, across 10 local authorities across Greater Manchester.
A great example of the power of devolution in action.
And all of this is on top of the £3.6 billion we’ve already put towards our National Plan to End Homelessness, which includes a commitment to eliminate the unlawful use of B&Bs for families.
Last week’s homelessness figures showed that these numbers, thankfully, are going down and that more households are being helped into a home.
But the record numbers still stuck in temporary accommodation are absolutely not where we want to be.
We’re still picking up the pieces after years of Tory failure that saw us go backwards -
And we’ve got a long way to go to turn things around.
But the last Labour government made a choice. They were determined to end homelessness and rough sleeping.
We saw that, where there was a desire from across government to bring down temporary accommodation numbers and get people off the street and out of shop door fronts, there was a way. Rough sleeping was cut by two-thirds.
That’s why it’s so important that we’ve already followed through on commitments like repealing the shameful Vagrancy Act, which criminalised rough sleeping.
We know that when things go wrong, lives can deteriorate quickly.
It’s why we tackled a key driver of homelessness by banning no-fault evictions as part of our landmark Renters’ Rights Act - and it’s why we’re taking the major steps we’ve announced today.
When the Prime Minister pledged to end rough sleeping, we said we'd move urgently from words to action. Today we're delivering on that promise.
This funding will help thousands of people leave the streets behind, move into secure homes and get the support they need to rebuild their lives.
Working alongside councils, mayors and charities, we're backing local areas to tackle rough sleeping at its roots, giving people the security, dignity and opportunity they deserve, and restoring hope to those who have been let down for far too long.
Be in no doubt, we will do what it takes to get people off the streets for good, rebuild lives and give everyone the security and dignity of a roof over their heads.
It’s our driving purpose - nothing less will do.
____________________
Angela Rayner is Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
LBC Opinion provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest.
The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.
To contact us email opinion@lbc.co.uk