World Homeless Day 2026 (10 October) comes at an important time for Hull. The council has recently received additional Government funding through the national Rough Sleeping Programme, a three-year funding package designed to reduce long-term rough sleeping.
Funding for the first year will go directly to local councils, while funding for years two and three will be managed through the Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority. This approach aims to strengthen regional partnership working and deliver more effective support.
The money is part of the Government’s National Plan to End Homelessness, which focuses on preventing homelessness rather than simply responding to crisis. The long-term ambition is for homelessness to be rare and, when it does occur, to be brief and non-recurring, with no one ever having to be homeless more than once in their life.
The National Plan recognises that homelessness cannot be solved by one organisation alone. Many factors can contribute to someone becoming homeless, meaning there are opportunities across a range of services and agencies to intervene and prevent homelessness before it happens.
Here is what the National Plan means for us in Hull.
A route off the streets this winter
Hull City Council is developing plans to ensure that everyone sleeping rough has a ‘route off the streets’ this Christmas and beyond.
This means that anyone who is sleeping rough, or at immediate risk of doing so, will be offered somewhere safe to stay while their housing and support needs are assessed. We know that ending homelessness often requires more than simply providing accommodation, and support must be tailored to individual circumstances.
Local action plan for Hull
As part of the Government’s requirements, the council will publish a local action plan alongside its existing Preventing Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy.
The action plan will include targets against six key performance measures:
- Number of households with children living in temporary accommodation.
- Number of families staying in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks.
- Success in preventing and relieving homelessness.
- Success in preventing and relieving homelessness for people experiencing multiple disadvantages.
- Number of people sleeping rough on any single night.
- Number of people experiencing long-term rough sleeping.
What does this mean in practice?
While individual organisations, including the council, will have their own responsibilities and targets, real progress will require a whole-system partnership approach.
The council will continue to work with partners to identify opportunities to prevent homelessness. This could involve helping people remain in their current homes or supporting planned moves into alternative accommodation, reducing the risk of housing crises wherever possible.
The council is also delivering the largest programme of new council house building for many years and is working with partners to increase the supply of social and affordable rented homes.
In addition, the council welcomes responsible private landlords who can provide good-quality, affordable, long-term accommodation. Increasing the availability of suitable housing across all sectors is essential to ensuring more people can access the fundamental right to a safe and secure home.
Find out more about World Homeless Day 2026
World Homeless Day is held internationally each year to raise awareness about the needs of people who experience homelessness and promote work in local communities. Find out more about it here.
If you or someone you know is worried about homelessness, get in touch with us as soon as possible.