Andy Burnham, the new prime minister, has positioned ending rough sleeping as a central goal of his administration, pledging to issue his first government instruction aimed at eradicating street homelessness in the country. Known for his long-standing commitment to the issue, Burnham’s approach combines social care with housing initiatives, drawing on experience from his tenure as mayor of Greater Manchester.

Burnham’s efforts to address homelessness have included programs such as A Bed Every Night, which provides emergency accommodation to rough sleepers along with personalised support, and Housing First, aimed at securing permanent housing coupled with wraparound care. These initiatives, initially launched in Manchester and Liverpool, have since influenced wider national policies.

Despite repeated commitments from various political leaders—including Jeremy Corbyn, Boris Johnson, Gordon Brown, Rishi Sunak, and Keir Starmer—rough sleeping remains a persistent and growing problem. The number of people sleeping rough in England reached 4,793 last summer, while estimates including those in temporary accommodation surpass 180,000. Experts from the IPPR North think tank and Crisis charity have warned that homelessness could rise by 25 percent, reaching 230,000 by 2030 without decisive intervention.

The issue, Burnham acknowledges, is complex and deeply intertwined with broader social challenges, such as mental health, addiction, domestic abuse, economic insecurity, and an insufficient housing supply. Recent factors, including a sharp increase in asylum seekers and illegal immigrants among the homeless population, have added further complications. A Centre for Social Justice report highlighted a 396 percent rise in non-EU rough sleepers since 2021, with nearly half of London’s rough sleepers now non-British.

Local efforts underline the difficulty of making substantial progress. In Manchester, rough sleeping numbers showed only a modest decline from 268 in 2017 to 197 last November, with areas like Piccadilly Gardens still plagued by tents and drug activity. Post-pandemic policy such as the Everyone In initiative temporarily reduced rough sleeping by providing beds for 37,000 individuals, but numbers have since increased again, strained by funding shortfalls.

Experts argue that addressing homelessness effectively will require Burnham to confront multiple systemic issues, including improving mental health services, expanding social housing, managing immigration policies, and reforming the criminal justice system to reduce overcrowding in prisons. This may necessitate politically challenging decisions, particularly around asylum seeker policies and support for vulnerable populations.

Burnham’s promise to end rough sleeping thus reflects a broader aspiration to tackle intertwined social, economic, and policy failures. While the goal resonates across political lines and public opinion, meeting it will demand coordinated action and sustained investment to address homelessness not merely as a visible social issue but as a symptom of systemic problems. Without such a comprehensive strategy, attempts to reduce rough sleeping risk falling short of expectations.