Burnham pledges to offer all veterans sleeping rough accomodation before Christmas

All homeless veterans will be offered accomodation before Christmas, the prime minister has said, as he promised to personally write to all councils in England urging them to draw up the plans. Andy Burnham will write personally to local authorities ahead of Armistice Day, urging them to work with charities and local organisations to help former service personnel off the streets. The government is also allocating £8.7 million to eight organisations across the UK to provide housing and specialist support for veterans.

Speaking to ITV News, Burnham said he would be asking councils to bring together a plan to ensure "that no veteran in your area will sleep rough because I know the money is in place to give an offer of accomodation to everybody. 'I know the money is in place to give an offer of accomodation to everybody' Play Brightcove video He said he wanted the offer to be made before Christmas, adding: "The funding is there to do it, I know it can be done, I'm now asking our councils to do it."

The prime minister said: "The money is there to make that simple principle a reality, that no one who served our country in the forces is ever left to sleep rough on our streets." When asked by ITV News if he could guarantee all homeless armed forces veterans would have a bed by Christmas, the prime minister said: "I can guarantee there will be an offer for everybody who asks for accomodation, anybody who is sleeping rough at this moment in time." 'We are forgotten': Veterans plea to Government for urgent help ITV News tests hidden force of military blast linked to brain injuries The announcement forms part of Burnham’s wider drive to end rough sleeping, a commitment he made on his first day in Downing Street.

An additional £874 million has been committed to the effort, taking total government investment in homelessness and rough sleeping services over three years to more than £4.4 billion. Councils will be asked to use part of that funding to develop specific plans for veterans sleeping rough. Tackling homelessness was also a priority for Burnham during his time as mayor of Greater Manchester. He launched the A Bed Every Night scheme in November 2018, bringing together councils, charities and other organisations to provide emergency accommodation and support across the region’s 10 boroughs.

Subscribe for free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning. Burnham also committed to donating 15% of his mayoral salary to tackling homelessness. As part of the latest announcement, veterans sleeping rough, or people supporting them, are being encouraged to call the UK-wide Op Fortitude helpline on 0800 952 0774. The service helps veterans find suitable accommodation or keep their existing home, and can connect them with specialist support.

The government says the helpline has already helped more than 1,250 veterans into housing. Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...