In his first statement as prime minister outside 10 Downing Street in July, Burnham said: “I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction – to end rough sleeping in our country.
“It’s about putting the right values and the right standards at the heart of government.”
When he was metropolitan mayor of Greater Manchester, he pledged to end rough sleeping by 2020, and managed to reduce the figure from 268 in 2017 down to 90.
But the dip also coincided with a national effort from councils to bring rough sleepers inside during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the figure began to rise again alongside increases in the cost of living.
One of the organisations that will receive some of the £846,000 funding is Coffee4Craig, whose CEO Hendrix Lancaster described the prime minister’s rough sleeping plans as “ballsy” during an interview shortly after Burnham’s announcement in July.
“I think the way he’ll do it is by giving more powers to local authorities, that’s worked in Greater Manchester, so why not,” he said.
A £442m package to provide emergency accommodation and practical support to rough sleepers around England was announced shortly after Burnham became prime minister.
Ahead of the first Rough Sleeping Summit at Downing Street in October, the government indicated that a further £432m would be added to the scheme.
Ten organisations in Manchester will be given a share of the city’s funding, including Ancoats-based charity Mustard Tree.
Deputy council leader Rawlins added: “Our voluntary, charity and faith sector partners play a hugely important role within the city in providing the range of support which people living on the streets need.
“We are glad that we can use this extra funding to strengthen their work.”