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<p>The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one
should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government
Rough Sleeping Strategy, committing to end rough sleeping for good, with the aim of
halving it by 2022. The strategy sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help
people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough
sleeping once and for all.</p><p>The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion
to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period. This year,
Rough Sleeping Initiative investment totals £46 million and has been allocated to
246 areas – providing funding for an estimated 750 additional staff and over 2,600
bed spaces, in addition to the £30 million allocated last year to those areas with
the highest numbers of rough sleepers through the same initiative.</p><p>The Chancellor
has said that there will be a Spending Review this year, and the Government will be
looking at long term funding for homelessness and rough sleeping services as part
of that. Ministers have made very clear that homelessness and rough sleeping is a
key priority for the Government. We are working with other Government departments
to assess what more can be done to combat rough sleeping and wider homelessness. This
work is being overseen by the Ministerial Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction
Taskforce which includes HM Treasury and will play an important part of our preparations
for the forthcoming Spending Review.</p>
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