New figures show early signs of success for Greater Manchester's ambitious rough sleeping plan

Andy Burnham’s ambitious drive to tackle rough sleeping in Greater Manchester has put a significant dent in the crisis, new figures have revealed.

Some 172 people were taken off the streets on Monday 19 November through the Mayor of Greater Manchester’s A Bed Every Night scheme.

The figure is a snapshot of what happened on one night in November. But in total, 278 people have been helped off the streets since the start of the campaign on November 1.

Over the next week the amount of provision across Greater Manchester will increase even further.

A Bed Every Night will run over the winter period until the end of March.

Andy said: “It’s early days, but these figures show our efforts are having a significant impact.

“We are talking about more than 270 people who have regularly been sleeping on the streets of Greater Manchester who are now instead getting their heads down in a clean, warm bed in a safe environment.

“One of the best things about Greater Manchester having devolved power is that we are actually able to introduce social policies which provide real and meaningful solutions for those at the sharp end of problems like this. We are talking about the area’s young and most vulnerable, victims of domestic abuse, people who have lost their jobs or been evicted through no fault of their own.

“This shows how everyone in Greater Manchester is coming together to confront huge social problems and find solutions for the greater good of all our society.”

The figures from Monday night were provided by councils from each of the city-region’s 10 boroughs.

A Bed Every Night is just the first step in a sustainable model to ensure that the most entrenched of rough sleepers can be supported every step of the way to help them reintegrate into society.

Andy added: “The generosity of the people of Greater Manchester is overwhelming and as we look to developing the plan over the months and years to come, we are going to need to continue calling on the region’s giving spirit. This is the first time anything like this has ever been attempted and more beds and new provisions continue to come on stream all the time. In fact, we expect to have provision available for every single person sleeping rough by early December.

“The system is in place now and we will continue to build. People are being helped off the streets, out of harms’ way and into safe and secure accommodation. And, most importantly, lives are being saved.”

The number of beds available and the variety of support on offer continues to grow, bolstered by the generous donations of the people and businesses of Greater Manchester, who have so far pledged over £146,000 to the Mayor’s Homelessness Fund.

A spokesperson for Rochdale Borough Council said: "We have recently increased the number of beds available in the borough by five as part of our cold weather protocol and, like most other years, have enough beds to meet our local demand.

"As the Mayor’s scheme is in its infancy, it is difficult to determine its impact in our borough at this point. We have for many years worked hard with all our partners to ensure everybody has a bed for the night, as well as other support to help them access housing, jobs, medical treatment and other support services.

"We support the Bed for Every Night scheme and are adding it to the existing long-standing package of support measures we have in place for the small number of people who are at risk of sleeping rough.

"We are currently working with our local partners to try and create additional provision, on top of the five extra bed spaces already created this winter, and will continue to do this as cold weather progresses.

"We receive some money from the GMCA, which goes towards the variety of measures we have in place to tackle homelessness, including a Bed for Every Night. Funding is distributed to the variety of local organisations which provide homelessness provision on our behalf."

In addition to those habitually sleeping rough who are currently accessing A Bed Every Night support, the latest figures show that a further 136 people have found secure accommodation through the Social Impact Bond (SIB).

And the ground-breaking Housing First pilot, powered by £8 million of Government funding over the next three years, will enable the provision of a further 500 homes for people with complex needs, including those previously sleeping rough. Accommodation is expected to open from February.

Earlier this month, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) secured charitable status for a new Mayor of Greater Manchester Charity (registration #1180418). Monies raised through both the Fund and the Charity will be directed towards ‘A Bed Every Night’ until the campaign’s end on 31 March.

The Mayor added: “We know we can’t achieve our aims with public money alone. We are working hard to mobilise the contributions of all sectors of Greater Manchester society - public, private, voluntary and faith.

“I am so grateful to all the people who have contributed to the Mayor’s Homelessness Fund, which has so far raised a really impressive £147,530 with 12 awards to organisations including Justlife, Booth Centre and Coffee4Craig. The Fund is now solely dedicated to supporting ‘A Bed Every Night’ until the spring.”

For more information and to donate visit www.bedeverynight.co.uk