Kent man welcomes Andy Burnham's rough sleeping pledge

Ex-homeless man backs Burnham rough sleeping pledge Image source, Chrissie Reidy / BBC Image caption, Steven Baugh, from Deal, says even housing half of rough sleepers as part of Andy Burnham's homelessness pledge would be "some achievement" By Chrissie Reidy , Reporting from in Deal and Patrick Barlow , South East Published 1 hour ago 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".

How bad is UK's rough sleeping problem? 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. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Rough sleeping in the UK has hit a record high since current statistics began in 2010 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." 'Won't be a quick fix' 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." Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook , external , X , external , and on Instagram , external and listen to BBC Radio Sussex on Sounds . Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk , external or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.

Related topics Housing Homelessness Andy Burnham Brighton Deal More on this story Funding set to double for plan to get rough sleepers off streets by Christmas Published 20 hours ago Temporary housing reaches four-year high – council Published 14 January Related internet links Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Porchlight