4. What steps his Department is taking to help rough sleepers find accommodation. (905898)

We have committed more than £800 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in this year alone. That includes the investment of £202 million through the rough sleeping initiative fund, which provides 14,500 bed spaces and approximately 2,700 staff throughout the country. We are also helping people to find longer-term accommodation, including through the £433 million rough sleeping accommodation programme, which we expect to provide 6,000 new homes before the end of this Parliament. So far, we seem to be having some success, because the rough sleeping snapshot taken in November and announced a couple of weeks ago shows that numbers have fallen for eight years in a row.

[Official Report, 7 March 2022, Vol. 710, c. 6.]

Letter of correction from the Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the hon. Member for Walsall North (Eddie Hughes):

An error has been identified in my response to my hon. Friend the Member for Winchester (Steve Brine).

The correct response should have been:

So far, we seem to be having some success, because the rough sleeping snapshot taken in October and November and announced a couple of weeks ago shows that numbers are at an eight-year low.