Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity responds to new figures on rough sleeping

The latest rough sleeping figures for England have been released today.

For many working in the homelessness sector, the figures revealed today will not come as a surprise. On a single night in autumn 2022, 3,069 people were spending a night on the streets sleeping rough, representing an increase of 26% from 2021. The increase, however, was not universal.

Here in Greater Manchester, we’ve seen the value of targeted, integrated and sustained action to prevent people from spending a night on the streets. Though the number of people rough sleeping increased on the snapshot count, it rose only by 9%.

Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is a founding funder and continued supporter of the unrivalled emergency provision, A Bed Every Night. In the last year, by bringing businesses, communities, and people together, we’ve raised funds to deliver more than 10,000 nights accommodation providing not only a bed and food to people who would otherwise face a night on the streets, but also the wrap around support needed to help people move on to more stable accommodation.

In January 2023, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority reports there were 582 people in A Bed Every Night on an average night, with 172 people new to the system. This is an increase on the year before from 526 people on an average night, and 145 people new to the system.

Year on year, A Bed Every Night has grown in capacity with new investment, and responded to the lessons and needs of the sector. The scale and extent of the provision is evidenced in the lower reported increases in rough sleeping for the city-region compared to England overall.

However, an increase in the number of people rough sleeping is just part of the picture. A Bed Every Night saw increased use and an increase in users new to the service. The provision of emergency accommodation is a lifeline, but not one that should need to be scaled up each year.

Increased need and increased use tell a bigger story about the consequences of the cost of living crisis we are all enduring, and the staggering costs of inequality. Emergency provision must sit alongside targeted prevention to ensure that the experience of homelessness is rare, brief and non-recurrent. Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity will continue to support innovating and pioneering work across the ciry-region doing just that. But it must sit alongside national-level responses to the housing crisis. While the policy options are hotly debated – be they rent freezes, investment in housing benefits, or a ban on no-fault evictions – action is needed to end homelessness now.

Responding to the figures, Fran Darlington-Pollock, Head of Strategic Development, said:

“Any increase, no matter how small, needs action. The numbers for Greater Manchester are a testament to the value of integrated and sustained action to prevent rough sleeping, but as pressure on services increases it is more vital than ever to stop homelessness before it becomes a reality.”

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