Sheffield Council set to be given £1.4 million to help end rough sleeping by Christmas
The focus for the first year is to provide immediate accommodation, assessment and support to people on the streets
Sheffield City Council is set to receive new funding to help get people off the streets by Christmas.
One of the first pledges made by Andy Burnham when he became Prime Minister in July was to give everybody sleeping rough “a route off the streets” by winter.
In August, the Government launched a three-year rough sleeping programme for England.
Responsibility for this sits locally with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), yet in order to “support rapid mobilisation,” funding in Sheffield is set to be given directly to the council.
Sheffield is due to receive £1,441,797 for the first year of the government's programme.
The aim is to offer as many people sleeping rough as possible a route off the streets by Christmas 2026, alongside support and pathways towards settled accommodation.
An agenda report to the council’s housing policy committee explains the focus for the first year is to provide immediate accommodation, assessment and support.
Subsequent years are planned to focus on longer term housing and settled accommodation.
The government’s programme identifies different types of accommodation that can be used to give rough sleepers a roof over their heads, including supported housing and bed and breakfasts.
Due to the fast approaching deadline of winter 2026, the agenda report states most places to stay are likely to be secured through emergency accommodation, reflecting local availability in Sheffield and the need to house people quickly.
The report says while this accommodation is not intended as a long-term solution, it will provide a private room, bed and access to facilities throughout the day, enabling assessment and engagement with services.
Every year the number of people on the streets is measured in a “rough sleeping snapshot” on a single night in autumn in England.
In 2025, 38 people were found sleeping rough in Sheffield, compared with 52 in 2024, a reduction of 27 per cent.
The agenda report also states that long-term rough sleeping reduced from 120 people in April 2024 to 64 people in August 2026.
The most common reasons for homelessness in Sheffield in 2025/26 according to council data are:
- Being asked to leave by family or friends,
- Fleeing domestic abuse,
- Loss of Home Office asylum support accommodation,
- Loss of private rented accommodation.
The ‘homelessness prevention and rough sleeping strategy action plan’ will be discussed at the housing policy committee on October 22.
Sheffield City Council is due to approve the funding and become the accountable body, where the director of housing, James Clark, will finalise the delivery arrangements.