Andy Burnham has pledged that all homeless veterans will be offered accommodation before Christmas, announcing a plan to help former service personnel off the streets ahead of the festive season. The initiative, part of a wider government commitment to end rough sleeping, includes new funding and a direct appeal to local councils.
£8.7m in New Funding for Veteran Support
As part of the plan, the government is allocating £8.7 million to eight organisations across the UK to provide housing and specialist support for veterans with complex needs. These organisations include Veteran Housing Scotland, Launchpad, and SSAFA, the Armed Forces Charity. The funding is intended to help housing providers offer assistance to veterans, particularly those with health or addiction problems.
Burnham will also ask councils in England to use part of an additional £874 million previously announced for homelessness to develop specific plans for veterans sleeping rough. The prime minister is expected to write personally to all councils on Armistice Day, November 11, urging them to work with local charities and organisations to ensure every veteran has a roof over their head.
The money is there to make that simple principle a reality, that no one who served our country in the forces is ever left to sleep rough on our streets.
Andy Burnham, Prime Minister
A “Simple Principle” and a Christmas Deadline
Burnham stated that national and local government should operate under the simple principle
that no one who has served our country should ever be left to sleep rough on our streets.
Speaking to ITV News, he guaranteed that there would be an offer of accommodation for every homeless veteran before Christmas.
I can guarantee there will be an offer for everybody who asks for accommodation, anybody who is sleeping rough at this moment in time,
the prime minister said. He added that he wanted the offer made before Christmas, stating, I know the money is in place to give an offer of accommodation to everybody.
The announcement comes as the government’s total investment in homelessness and rough sleeping services over three years now stands at more than £4.4 billion. However, the problem persists, with official figures estimating 4,793 people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2025 in England, a record high and a rise since 2021.
Defence Spokesman Warns Funding Won't Fix Crisis
Liberal Democrats defence spokesman James MacCleary MP called the funding an important first step
but warned that a one-off cash injection won't fix a crisis years in the making.
He urged the government to guarantee long-term funding and measures to prevent veterans from falling through the cracks in the first place.
Burnham has faced criticism in the past for failing to end rough sleeping during his tenure as mayor of Greater Manchester. He previously launched the A Bed Every Night
scheme in November 2018, which brought together councils and charities to provide emergency accommodation across the region’s 10 boroughs. He argued that Manchester’s scheme attracted rough sleepers from surrounding areas, stating, it's only if everywhere does it at the same level that you can actually end rough sleeping.
As part of the latest effort, veterans or those supporting them are encouraged to call the UK-wide Op Fortitude helpline on 0800 952 0774. The service helps connect veterans with accommodation and specialist support, and the government says it has already helped more than 1,250 veterans into housing.
