Sajid Javid gives £54m to help get rough sleepers off London’s streets

Homelessness: Charities have called the homelessness figures a "national disgrace" (Picture: PA Wire/PA Images)

The Chancellor promised more money to ease the homelessness crisis today as he unveiled spending increases across key areas.

Sajid Javid was set to announce some £54 million worth of additional funding to help get people off the streets and into safe accommodation.

London will “significantly benefit” from the 13 per cent increase because more than one in four rough sleepers in the UK are found on the capital’s streets.

Money will go towards local projects through programmes such as the Rough Sleeping Initiative that create more beds and link emergency help with long-term support.

Chancellor Sajid Javid was set to announced £54m of additional funding (AP)

He made the announcement as he unveiled the Government’s spending plans for the coming year.

His statement was setting departmental budgets for just one year rather than the usual three years, due to uncertainty over the impact of Brexit.

Rough sleeping figures in London have hit a record high, with 8,855 people recorded on the capital’s streets last year.

This was up by nearly a fifth in 12 months, and two and a half times the figure for 2009-10, of 3,673 rough sleepers.