19/08/2026
Today, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a major national drive to help every person sleeping rough in England find a route off the streets by Christmas, backed by a £442 million package of accommodation and support. The approach draws on lessons from the pandemic-era Everyone In initiative, which demonstrated what can be achieved when government, local authorities and frontline organisations work together with urgency. (GOV.UK)
Within hours of the announcement, reached out to Refuge Network International to hear directly from our frontline team and the people we support about the reality of rough sleeping in London, and what the Government’s new commitment could mean for those currently living on the streets.
Here is a short clip from our session with Andy Bell, Channel 5 Political Editor, and his team.
At Refuge Network International, we welcome any serious commitment to ending rough sleeping. But achieving this will require more than emergency accommodation. It will require sustained investment, coordinated local action, appropriate housing, health and mental-health support, and meaningful engagement with people experiencing homelessness.
Our frontline teams see every day both the scale of the challenge and the possibility of change when people are treated with dignity, compassion and respect.
We are pleased to contribute our frontline experience to this important national conversation, and we remain committed to working alongside government, charities, businesses and communities to help ensure that the ambition of getting people off the streets becomes a lasting reality.
No one should have to sleep rough. Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. ❤️
