21/08/2026
Our CEO, Marsha Blake, shares her thoughts on the Prime Minister's latest statement on homelessness:
"Andy Burnham’s commitment to ending rough sleeping is a significant moment for homelessness in England.
No one should have to sleep on our streets. The ambition to ensure everyone has a route off the streets this winter, backed by £442 million of funding, is both welcome and urgently needed.
But if we are serious about ending homelessness, we have to look beyond what happens when someone reaches the street.
Prevention has to be at the heart of the solution. ✅
Every day at St Basils, we see how quickly a young person’s circumstances can change. A relationship breakdown, leaving care, family difficulties, financial pressure or a lack of affordable housing can turn a housing problem into homelessness remarkably quickly.
And once someone becomes homeless, the impact can stay with them for years.
Young people are trying to build their futures at a time when many are facing pressures that make finding and keeping a safe, secure home increasingly difficult. We cannot wait until someone is sleeping rough before we decide they need help.
We need to intervene earlier. We need to listen to young people, strengthen the support around them and make sure there is somewhere safe to turn before a housing crisis becomes homelessness.
Getting people off the streets is essential, but preventing homelessness in the first place is better. And lasting change means making sure people have the stability and support they need to build a secure future and avoid returning to the streets.
I welcome the Government’s ambition and the recognition that ending homelessness requires all of us, government, local authorities, charities, communities and partners, to work together.
Now we need to make sure prevention, early intervention and long-term support are central to that work." ✅
Andy Burnham
