Everyone deserves a safe place to call home, and we're committed to doing everything we can to help people move away from rough sleeping. This funding will help us build on the excellent work already taking place across Leicester to support people sleeping rough and help them access accommodation, healthcare and the support they need to rebuild their lives. We're fortunate to have fantastic charities, housing providers and support organisations working across the city, and this programme will strengthen those partnerships so that we can reach more people and provide help when it is needed most. Our immediate focus is to help as many people as possible off the streets before Christmas, while also making sure they receive the long-term support needed to maintain a home and avoid returning to rough sleeping in the future.
Leicester Secures £3.4m Government Funding to Tackle Rough Sleeping
Additional accommodation and support projects will help vulnerable individuals off the streets before Christmas.
By Aisha Mahmood
••3 min read
AI
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Leicester City Council has secured over £3.4 million in Government funding to help more people sleeping rough into accommodation before Christmas.
The funding, part of the Government's national Rough Sleeping Programme, includes £2.24 million in revenue funding over three years and almost £1.2 million in capital funding. This will be used to create additional accommodation for individuals who have experienced long-term rough sleeping.
Working with charities, housing providers, health services, and voluntary organisations, the council has developed a support package designed to help people move off the streets and sustain their new homes. The first year of funding will launch six new support projects and provide 63 units of specialised accommodation.
Outreach services recorded 748 occurrences of rough sleeping in Leicester over the past year. The new funding specifically targets entrenched rough sleepers, those at risk of returning to the streets, and individuals with complex support needs. Projects will include specialist outreach, support for those leaving prison, and services to help people settle into longer-term housing.
Cllr Elly Cutkelvin, deputy city mayor and lead for housing, stated that the council is committed to helping people move away from rough sleeping. The programme, developed in collaboration with Government advisers and local partners, aims to have the first projects operational by the end of November, enabling support workers to assist people into accommodation before Christmas.
This initiative is part of a broader, long-term partnership approach involving the council, the NHS, housing providers, voluntary organisations, and other agencies to tackle rough sleeping and homelessness in Leicester. Further information on existing homelessness services is available on the Homelessness Charter website.
Based on information from the official source: Leicester City Council (11/11/2026)
