As autumn approaches and the hottest summer of a lifetime draws to a close, the thought of cold, wet dreary nights in December seem like distant memories. 

The overpriced AC unit will soon get a breather as England looks set for a typically rainy bookend to a sweltering summer, but welcome as the rain may be, it won't be too long until the monotony of poor sleep and general discomfort is replaced by freezing nights, dark mornings and pitch-black afternoons. 

First People blogs have routinely referred to the rancid scenario of sleeping rough in the winter time and the mind naturally wanders to the misery thousands of people are set to face on the streets. 

Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s stance on rough sleeping is known and has been written about. He received the backing of many organisations for outlining his plan to end it on the steps of Downing Street during his maiden speech, and he has also taken action to improve mental health services in his short time in office. 

But this was a particularly big week for the PM’s plans to end rough sleeping. Arguably the most significant. 

If it wasn't already, the PM put the issue firmly at the centre of the government’s agenda. His message is ambitious: everyone sleeping rough should be offered a route off the streets by Christmas, backed by £442 million of funding.

Clearly, this is aiming high, and in fairness, Burnham even acknowledged the government’s capability of pulling this off is restricted. 

Writing in the Guardian, the PM said he did not want Whitehall to orchestrate how “every penny” of the £442 million was spent, and emphasised that local leaders in Northern cities “know what will work” because of their familiarity with the problem locally. 

“It will be up to local leaders to decide what type of support their community needs most".

“But I also know from my time in Manchester that public money alone won’t solve this. Ending rough sleeping has to be something we all take responsibility for. That means councils, charities, businesses, faith groups and local communities all pulling together. And, even more importantly, it means all of us asking what we can do to help”, he wrote. 

The PM called on local leaders to back the “national drive”, stressing that everybody playing their part can return hope to communities. 

The PM’s words also represent a deliberate attempt to recreate the spirit of the “Everyone In” response during the pandemic, when thousands of people sleeping rough were moved into emergency accommodation. Burnham argues that if the country could act decisively then, it can replicate this spirit. The government’s new package combines £340 million announced previously for longer-term accommodation with a further £102 million for immediate support, including health, addiction and other services.

In a bold move, the Makerfield MP also pledged to donate 15% of his Prime Ministerial salary to homelessness charities and causes. I’d normally be pretty pessimistic about this sort of performative gesture, citing an unsophisticated argument along the lines of him not being strapped for cash, but this isn't a new practice. Burnham told the Big Issue that he had done so as Greater Manchester Mayor for almost 10 years. So I can't write endless blogs calling for action behind the rhetoric and subsequently criticise the nature of the action. Fair play to him. 

Government figures published this month outline the scale of the issue at hand. Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government data reveals that 92,200 households in England underwent an initial homelessness assessment between January and March 2026. Although this was slightly lower than the previous year, the number of households in temporary accommodation reached a record 135,580 at the end of March. That included 86,460 households with children.

A subtle, yet important distinction laid bare. Rough sleeping is the most visible form of homelessness, but it represents only one part of a much wider housing crisis. A person moved from a pavement into temporary accommodation has not necessarily escaped homelessness. Without a settled home and support, they can simply move from one form of insecurity to another.

Just as his commitment to ending rough sleeping is well established, the PM’s record on homelessness in Manchester is also well known by now. He did not fulfil his pledge to end rough sleeping by 2020, and while the figure fell to less than 100 in 2021, the next four years saw year-on-year increases. 

The PM’s commitment to the problem is welcome, as is the fervour with which he has pursued his goal. But as the winter and his Christmas deadline approaches, Burnham is saying the quiet part out loud: the government cannot sort the problem by itself. 

The Covid-like call for national unity is unlikely to gain the traction of a worrisome worldwide pandemic, and one could argue people don't particularly like being spoken to like that in the years since. But again, there is action behind the rhetoric. 

So, as Christmas approaches, the question is not simply whether the PM can get people off the streets. He told the country he can't and even acknowledged there will be people who do not “take up the offer” of shelter. But all of the words, donations, pledges and calls to action are emblematic of a new approach to ending rough sleeping - something many have urged for a long time. 

The PM said outright the plan is not a “permanent fix” and this is right. Getting people off the streets for Christmas is great. Keeping them off for the streets will require far more of that new approach.