Can Andy Burnham really end rough sleeping in Ipswich by Christmas?

Why it matters: Andy Burnham made ending rough sleeping by Christmas his first big promise on the steps of 10 Downing Street. In Ipswich, the scale of the challenge facing that deadline is laid bare by one morning's outreach work – and the complexity of the problem it must solve.

The big picture: Ipswich Housing Action Group's (ihAg) team goes out before many are out of bed to engage with and support those sleeping rough. On any given day, the charity can expect to find an average of 13 people sleeping rough in the town, each for different reasons and requiring tailored help.

• On a slightly chilly Monday morning in late September, Joao Santos of the Local Democracy Service (LRDS) followed the team to see the challenges the town is facing.
• As they headed out of the Chapman Centre – where ihAg offers advice, advocacy and practical support such as food, showers and health services – they found five people sleeping rough within 100 metres.
• Two were at the bottom of Spiral Car Park, owned by Napier Parking, sleeping on a mattress. Opposite them were clothes, bags, empty alcohol boxes and cans used for drug consumption, suggesting more people had been taking refuge underground.
• The LDRS was told the car park had become a hotspot, particularly during the winter months.
• Inside a building with a sign advertising a security company, another person was resting in a sleeping bag.

What they're saying: Sean Trueman, ihAg's outreach coordinator, said consistency was key to his work. "I try to be some consistency for them out there on a daily basis – checking on their welfare, just a familiar face," he said.

"I try to understand where it comes from, what traumas they've gone through, what abuse they may have suffered from – they were not born that way."

Among those the team came across were a man recently given a house by Ipswich Borough Council who was still sleeping rough, and another man in his 40s who had been in and out of accommodation for more than ten years.

Trueman said any attention around the issue was positive, but urged the Prime Minister to be realistic and understand the complexity behind it.

"This is not just about taking people off the streets and putting a roof over their heads," he said. "This is about peeling back the layers and trying to break the cycle."

What the Government is doing: A month after his Downing Street pledge, Burnham unveiled the £442m support package in August.

"We will help people to live well, building a more preventative state, investing in people's success, rather than paying for failure," he said in July.

The money is intended to offer everyone who needs it a route off the streets by the 24 December deadline, with new accommodation and support rolled out across England this winter. This includes shared flats or houses, B&B accommodation, warm spaces for short-term refuge, and other supported lodgings, alongside practical help with housing, health and other needs.

By the numbers: Dealing with rough sleeping and homelessness in Ipswich is ultimately the responsibility of Ipswich Borough Council as the housing authority, working in partnership with charities such as ihAg.

• 145 people have been found sleeping rough in Ipswich this year alone.
• That brings the total to 467 over the past three years.
• Each individual would have been offered support.
• The council has set aside a £3.5m budget this year to combat rough sleeping – which, if spent in totality, would bring total spending to just over £7.5m since 2023.

What they're saying: Cllr Alasdair Ross, the council's lead for housing, said the Government's drive was a big challenge, but one the authority was happy to take on to help people "enjoy life rather than just surviving."

"In Ipswich, dealing with homelessness and helping people is one of our high priorities as a Labour-run council," he said. "It's about helping the most vulnerable; that's why you get involved in politics."

The council's budget includes its Housing First initiative, which allows people sleeping rough to be supported into a house of their own without being "housing ready."

A council spokesperson said: "A key part of this support is building a trusting relationship between the person and their support worker. Support workers help people navigate services and systems by connecting them with the right organisations. This includes helping people access health care, financial advice, training, and employment services."

The bottom line: With 145 people already found sleeping rough in Ipswich this year, and frontline workers warning the problem runs deeper than housing alone, the town offers an early test of whether the Prime Minister's Christmas deadline is achievable – or whether, as Sean Trueman puts it, breaking the cycle will take more than "peeling back the layers."

Don't forget: If you enjoy our content, please add Ipswich.co.uk as a "preferred source" on Google so you can easily find more of the content you value.

This article cost us ~£54 to produce

It's free for you to read thanks to the generous support of our partners. Please support us by supporting them.