NHF signs joint letter to the Chancellor on extending the Rough Sleeping Initiative

We’ve signed a joint letter written by St Mungo’s asking Rachel Reeves MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, to extend and uplift the Rough Sleeping Initiative.

With the Autumn Budget announcement due later this month, we’re asking the government to protect and invest further in key homelessness services.

The Rough Sleeping Initiative is currently set to end in March 2025, whilst homelessness figures are at an all-time high. Rough sleeping in England has increased by 120% since 2010, with the cost-of-living crisis and a lack of affordable housing pushing more people towards the sharp end of the housing crisis.

The Rough Sleeping Initiative is a vital source of funding for homelessness services, and many of our members provide services with support from this funding through Housing First and other types of specialist housing. Read more about the impact this makes in a case study from emh.

With local authorities facing financial pressures and many services at risk of decommissioning, we’re asking the government in our Autumn Budget and Spending Review submission to extend and uplift the Rough Sleeping Initiative and Homelessness Prevention Grant. This would ensure vital homelessness and other supported housing services can continue to operate.