The government says every rough sleeper in England will be offered accommodation <\/strong>during the winter, with councils and mayors responsible for organising help locally. Options identified in government guidance include rooms in shared houses <\/a>or flats, bed-and-breakfast accommodation, supported lodgings and warm spaces offering short-term refuge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u00a3442 million package is described by the government as fully funded within the Ministry of Housing<\/strong>, Communities and Local Government. Part of the money will also be used to deliver more than 1,000 homes over the next three years, intended to provide permanent accommodation for people who have been sleeping rough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Manchester Evening News, \u00a337 million<\/strong> has been allocated to the North West over three years from 2026\/27 to 2028\/29. Greater Manchester Combined Authority will receive \u00a316,955,174, while Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has been allocated \u00a39,992,899. Other allocations include \u00a32,535,038 for Cheshire West and Chester, \u00a31,325,492 for Preston and \u00a31,297,194 for Blackburn with Darwen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Burnham said the state can face higher costs when people remain on the streets because they may repeatedly use accident and emergency departments, hospital beds or come into contact with the police. He also acknowledged that government funding <\/strong>\u201cmay not fully get us there\u201d and appealed to charities, faith organisations and other groups to support the effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Burnham has compared the programme with the \u201cEveryone In\u201d initiative introduced during the Covid pandemic, when thousands of people sleeping rough were placed in hotels and temporary accommodation. According to the BBC, about 37,000 people were helped after the scheme began in March 2020. Shelter <\/strong>later found that roughly a quarter had moved into settled accommodation lasting at least six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The plan has also drawn political criticism. Conservative shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly <\/a>said Burnham had previously pledged to end rough sleeping in Greater Manchester but had not achieved that target. Burnham made the commitment after becoming mayor in 2017, when government figures recorded 268 rough sleepers across Greater Manchester. The number had fallen to 125 by 2020 and 90 in 2021, before rising again to 197 in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/08\/Burnhams-442m-plan-to-get-rough-sleepers-off-the-streets-\u00a9Shutterstock-1200x727.jpg\")
The Plan Revives an Approach Used During the Pandemic<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n