The PM wants to end rough sleeping. This is what charities here in Stoke think
Stoke charities including the Gingerbread Centre have urged Andy Burnham not to forget about homeless families following his pledge to end rough sleeping altogether
Backed by an initial £340 million package and closer working between national and local government, Andy Burnham announced on his first day in office that his government would "finally end long-term rough sleeping across the UK at the earliest opportunity". Burnham made a similar pledge during his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester, where rough sleeping fell significantly but was not eliminated.
After Burnham made the announcement, Newcastle MP Adam Jogee described it as “an important step” and highlighted that “everyone deserves the dignity of a safe place to call home.”
According to Stoke-on-Trent City Council's Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025–2030, 44 people were on the city’s rough sleeper caseload at the time the review was written, 30 of whom (68%) were classed as long-term rough sleepers. Around 30% were women, a proportion that has doubled over the previous five years.
But it’s not the PM, or MPs, who are at the sharp end of this crisis but the homeless charities dealing with it. What do they think about Burnham’s mission? We found out.
When we asked Trevor Cottam, CEO of the Gingerbread Centre, which supports families, single pregnant women and vulnerable young parents, what one change would make the biggest difference to addressing rough sleeping and homelessness, he said that he’d stop waiting until people are already in crisis.
“We need to invest much more in preventing homelessness and not just responding to it. Prevention is the key to ultimately putting an end to homelessness as a whole, and we know what the warning signs are. If we get involved with families earlier, we can stop many of them ever becoming homeless. That’s better for the family, better for the children and it costs far less in the long run.”
