Government has ability to make end of rough sleeping permanent if it wants, MPs say

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The government's decision to end rough sleeping during the coronavirus pandemic could be made permanent with the right financial commitment and strategy, a cross-party parliamentary committee has said. MPs on the housing and communities committee said it was "feasible" for the current situation to become "the new norm" if the government took the right action, with the progress made during the pandemic a "golden opportunity". The committee's report says the government needs to spend £100m per year – a relatively modest sum in budget terms – on long-term housing support to make the change a reality. Their report also recommends that councils need to be given "targeted grant funding" to acquire temporary accommodation so that "rough sleepers do not end up back on the street due to lack of suitable housing".