Today (19 November) St Mungo’s, along with 28 other homelessness organisations and service providers, has written to the Government to ask it to continue the ‘remarkable’ work of ‘Everyone In’ by committing to significant investment in its Spending Review later this month.
The letter, which has been sent to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, calls for Ministers to ensure that the level of investment in homelessness and rough sleeping seen this year is maintained.
It also requests that the nearly £1bn of funding that has been cut from what councils can spend on homelessness every year is restored in full.
Steve Douglas CBE, St Mungo’s Chief Executive, said: “After years of underfunding which saw levels of homelessness and rough sleeping rise substantially across the 2010s, this year has seen investment increase significantly in response to the outbreak of Covid-19.
“The introduction of the Next Steps and Rough Sleepers Accommodation programmes marks a positive move towards multi-year funding settlements, and is welcome.
“However, as we enter the latter stages of negotiations between Government departments and the Treasury on budgets for the spending review, the Chancellor should ensure that, at the very minimum, this year’s level of investment of £700 million in homelessness and rough sleeping is maintained through the next financial year.
“This, though, will still leave the nearly £1bn shortfall in investment to local authorities for homelessness services over the last decade and this should also be restored.”
