West Sussex homelessness charity welcomes PM's commitment to 'end rough sleeping'

On his first day at 10 Downing Street, the new Prime Minister announced the government’s commitment to ‘finally end long-term rough sleeping across the UK at the earliest opportunity’.

He said: “We’ll get to work immediately, bringing together national and local government with the investment needed to get it done.”

Charity Turning Tides, which supports people facing homelessness across West Sussex, said ending rough sleeping is ‘an ambition we wholeheartedly support’.

A Turning Tides spokesperson said: “As a charity, we have successfully delivered Housing First services across West Sussex for the past six years, helping people with complex needs move away from homelessness and sustain independent tenancies.

"However, despite Housing First being recognised within the Government's National Plan to End Homelessness as an effective solution, securing consistent funding for these services remains a significant challenge.

"If we are serious about ending rough sleeping, long-term solutions require long-term investment.

"We would like to see the Government provide direct, multi-year funding for Housing First programmes, giving providers the certainty needed to maintain and expand successful services while enabling new projects to be developed in areas where they are most needed.

“We also believe that any ambition to end homelessness must be accompanied by a commitment to deliver the right types of social housing.”

The charity said single people experiencing homelessness are ‘typically only eligible for bedsits or one-bedroom homes’, which reportedly remain ‘among the least-built forms of affordable housing’.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by Councillor Kevin Jenkins revealed that, in Worthing, 1,164 households were waiting for a one-bedroom property as of August 2025, more than half of all households on the council housing waiting list.

Turning Tides said increasing the supply of one-bedroom social homes ‘would help reduce waiting times, ease pressure across the housing system, and create more pathways out of homelessness’.

The charity also said it hopes Burnham’s vision will ‘recognise the vital role’ that charities play in supporting people experiencing homelessness.

The Turning Tides spokesperson added: “At Turning Tides, we work closely with local authorities and partners across West Sussex, delivering accommodation, Housing First services and specialist support around mental health, substance misuse and wider wellbeing.

“Voluntary sector organisations are often uniquely placed to engage people who may find statutory services difficult to access or trust.

"Many of the people we support have had, can be reluctant to engage with organisations they perceive as authoritative.

"Charities are often able to build the trusted relationships that encourage people to seek help, stay engaged and achieve lasting positive outcomes.

“Ending rough sleeping is an ambition we wholeheartedly support.

"By combining sustained investment in evidence based approaches such as Housing First, increasing the supply of suitable social housing, and recognising the essential contribution of voluntary sector organisations, we believe it is possible to make lasting progress towards ending homelessness for good.”