Ex-homeless man backs Burnham rough sleeping pledge

Andy Burnham's pledge to end rough sleeping would be "some achievement", a former homeless man says.

Steven Baugh, from Deal, Kent, said he would "believe it when they actually start doing something", but that he supported Burnham's plans to offer all rough sleepers accommodation for Christmas, or a route off the streets.

Kent charity Porchlight welcomed the proposals but warned they could be an "over-simplification of a systemic issue", and that the issue "will need long-term investment".

A government spokesperson said Burnham is determined to end rough sleeping across the country "at the earliest opportunity".

Baugh, who first became homeless at 14 and had to sleep rough on a number of occasions, told BBC South East: "Even if he gets half of people in houses that would be some achievement.

"I have been part of the statistics and now I'm trying to sort my life out.

"I think he [Burnham] should be focusing on getting places which are affordable."

Baugh said that, after initially being homeless in his teens, he later began rough sleeping again at 24 after losing his flat due to wanting to "party all the time", and spending his money on drugs and drinking.

He added that he thought a lot of people "don't realise the fear of being homeless, and being scared of normal human people".

On one night in Autumn 2025, 4,793 people were thought to be sleeping rough on the streets of the UK, according to the government's most recent rough sleeping snapshot, including 797 people in the South East.

The national figure marked a new record high since the snapshot began in 2010, a spokesperson added.

Brighton and Hove also remains one of the local authorities in the UK with the highest number of rough sleepers.

The estimated number of people sleeping rough in the city on a single night was recorded as 57 in autumn of 2025, 25% lower than 2024.

The government's commitment is that every rough sleeper will either be able to physically move into accommodation by Christmas or will have been offered support as a way to prevent them sleeping rough.

Shortly before the first Rough Sleeping Summit, held in Downing Street on Monday, Burnham also suggested that the £442m of funding pledged for the initiative could be doubled in his first budget, set for Wednesday.

Greg Hurst, of the Centre for Homelessness Impact, said that while it was "certainly possible" to end rough sleeping, Burnham's pledge was a first step towards that goal.

He added: "The long term ambition must be switching the system to a more preventative one.

"It's a big opportunity now to make changes at a system level. What we need to achieve is an alignment of services."

Hazel Eddy, of Kent-based charity Porchlight, added: "It's a first step to getting people off the streets this Christmas.

"It does feel like an oversimplification of a systemic issue. I suspect it won't just be a quick fix, it will need long term investment."

A spokesperson for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "The Prime Minister has made clear his determination to end rough sleeping in Kent and across the country at the earliest opportunity.

"This is backed by a National Plan to End Homelessness – including up to £71m funding for Kent over the next three years to help people leave the streets behind, move into secure homes and get the support they need to rebuild their lives."

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