Alexia Murphy, Chief Executive Officer at Depaul UK, has welcomed an additional £430 million to tackle rough sleeping and more than £1.5 billion of new funding for social and affordable housing, and urged the Government to match that focus so that young people never reach the streets in the first place.
Responding to the Chancellor’s Budget on 28 October 2026, Alexia Murphy, Chief Executive Officer at Depaul UK, said:
Today’s Budget delivered welcome news for young people experiencing homelessness.
We strongly welcome the additional £430 million for the Prime Minister’s initiative to tackle rough sleeping and make sure there is a route off the street for those who need it. Together with more than £1.5 billion of new funding for social and affordable housing, which brings total capital investment to over £40 billion across the next decade, this is a significant step forward.
Rough sleeping won’t end until we prevent it in every case.
A home to move on to
Moving on from supported accommodation is one of the biggest challenges facing the young people we work with. Many are ready to live independently but have nowhere affordable to go. This investment will help remove this barrier for young people and families. Home is the foundation to rebuild someone’s life, and we know from experience the importance of having a safe, secure, and affordable home for the young people we support.
Preventing homelessness before it starts
Rough sleeping won’t end until we prevent it in every case. Many people first become homeless when they are young, and we know that family mediation, education, and early intervention can stop that happening. Last year Depaul UK reached more than 17,000 people through our prevention and early intervention work in schools.
At the Prime Minister’s Rough Sleeping Summit at No.10 this week, we urged the Government to put prevention, early intervention and tailored support for children and young people at the heart of its plans. Today’s investment must be matched by that focus, so that young people never reach the streets in the first place.
Alexia Murphy, Chief Executive Officer, Depaul UK