This weekend, housing secretary Robert Jenrick announced plans to house the rough sleepers who were given accommodation at the start of the Covid-19 lockdown.

It says that these accounted for over 90 per cent of rough sleepers known to councils.

The new plan will see the original budget for tackling rough sleeping of £381m increased to £433m, and will, the government says, be used to provide 6,000 housing units, with 3,300 earmarked for opening the next 12 months.

The housing units will include staff trained to support the tenants with mental health and substance abuse issues.

Jenrick says: “This government wants to end rough sleeping for good, and we now have a real opportunity to deliver on this moral mission.

“This is an unprecedented commitment – the most ambitious of its kind and the single biggest injection of specialist accommodation since the rough sleepers initiative began.”

Dame Louise Casey, who leads the Rough Sleeping Covid-19 Response Taskforce, comments: “The effort so far has been immense – councils, charities and health providers have all worked tirelessly to support some of the most vulnerable during these unprecedented times.

“I want to thank all of those who have already stepped up to support rough sleepers so far and those who are pledging accommodation and future support.”

Homes England chief executive Nick Walkley adds: “The steps taken to reduce homelessness have been one of the few silver linings in recent months. The opportunity to work with Dame Louise Casey to build on these recent successes and work towards ending rough sleeping for good is something everyone at Homes England is supportive of. We look forward to working closely with MHCLG and our partners to support the Taskforce.”