Tackling rough-sleeping and homelessness requires a tailored approach, because of the individual and varied nature of people’s situations. Broad one-size-fits-all policy would miss the complex and multiple needs of affected people. Therefore, designing a system that provides choice and control gives rights and responsibilities back to people who may have been repeatedly excluded.

I am in complete support of the Government’s firm commitment to end rough sleeping once and for all by 2024. Last year the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities published a new strategy to support this mission, ‘Ending Rough Sleeping For Good’. £2 billion worth of Government investment has been designated towards this goal for the period between 2022-23 and 2024-25. With the ultimate goal to prevent rough-sleeping wherever possible and where it does occur it will be rare, brief, and non-recurring.

Prevention is the most important element in eliminating rough-sleeping and this is at the heart of the Government’s strategy. Namely, the ambition for no one to leave a public institution, such as a prison or hospital, homeless. And where rough sleeping does occur, there should be a tailored offer of support available.

A housing-led solution is also crucial to long-term success in this area. Therefore, an expansion of the Rough Sleeping Initiative will be invaluable. This involves tailoring support for affected people, including helping individuals find work, managing their finances and accessing mental and physical health services. The Government is investing £500 million over three years into this scheme, helping local authorities to focus on long-term change. In 2022-23 alone, funding will help provide 14,000 beds and 3,000 staff across England.

Rightly, the funding allocation for different types of accommodation reflects there is no one-size-fits-all approach to support. Such schemes include:

• The new £10 million Night Shelter Transformation Fund to increase the availability of quality single-room provision within the night shelter sector.
• The new £200 million Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme to deliver up to 2,400 longer-term homes and comprehensive support.
• The £433 million Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme to provide 6,000 move-on homes, available as long-term assets, and accompanying support services to those who are rough sleeping or who have a history of sleeping rough.
• The £2.4 million youth-specific supported accommodation which is specifically dedicated as a part of the Rough Sleeping Initiative 2022-25 for local youth services.

Local authorities are being given more control and flexibility in supporting those who are at risk through the £316 million Homelessness Prevention in 2022-23, with an additional £50 million top up announced in early December 2022. Local authorities can use the funding flexibly to help prevent evictions, provide temporary accommodation to those who need it and to offer financial support for people to find a new home. A further £654 million is being invested in the Homelessness Prevention Grant in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Locally, alongside my East Sussex MP colleagues, we were able to secure a £1.3m share from the £53m national pot of money designed to help people in drug and alcohol treatment in East Sussex. It will provide a range of support addressing tenancy start up and sustainment and also support people in their homes to improve engagement in treatment service. More can be read about this here.

I will be sure to follow developments in this area - both at a national and local level - closely.