No one who has served in the British armed forces should have to sleep on the streets this Christmas, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said, as he announced a new drive to get homeless veterans into accommodation before the festive period.

Burnham will write personally to councils across England on Armistice Day, 11 November, urging them to draw up specific plans to offer accommodation to any veterans sleeping rough ahead of Christmas. The letters will ask councils to work with charities and housing groups to make sure former personnel get a roof over their heads and specialist support.

The pledge was announced ahead of Remembrance Sunday and forms part of the Prime Minister's wider plan to offer everyone currently sleeping rough a bed this winter. Burnham promised, in one of his first moves as Prime Minister, to offer everyone sleeping rough a route off the streets by the end of this year.

"No one who has served our country should be left to sleep rough on our streets," Burnham said. "It is a simple principle and, from now on, I am setting it as an operating principle for the whole of government, national and local."

The Prime Minister said the commitment was backed by an additional £874 million of funding to tackle rough sleeping, taking total funding to a record £4.4 billion. A further £8.7 million will be shared between eight organisations across the United Kingdom through the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme, including Veteran Housing Scotland, Launchpad and SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, to help housing providers support veterans with complex needs such as health or addiction problems.

Burnham also urged any veterans who are sleeping rough, or those supporting them, to call a UK-wide helpline on 0800 9520774 to be connected with housing and other specialist support.

[Source: gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/no-one-who-has-served-our-country-should-sleep-rough-on-our-streets) | [Source: glasgowtimes.co.uk](https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/national/26709080.burnham-vows-specific-support-help-homeless-veterans-off-streets/)