Basildon gets £312,582 to tackle rough sleeping this winter, after the last official snapshot found 27 people on the streets, the borough's highest since 2010.
Basildon Council has £312,582 this year to prevent homelessness and help people sleeping rough. It set out how it plans to spend part of it on 30 October, as winter approaches.
The money comes from the government’s national Rough Sleeping Programme for 2026/27, the council said in its announcement.
It arrives after a sharp rise. The government’s last official snapshot, taken on a single night in autumn 2025, estimated that 27 people were sleeping rough in Basildon borough. That is the highest figure for the borough since the snapshot began in 2010.
Where the money is going
The council lists four planned allocations:
- £60,000 for flexible personal budgets, run and matched by the charity Greater Change. The council says funding of this size previously helped 94 people avoid or move on from homelessness.
- £85,000 to help 24 people sleeping rough into shared housing, by paying rent in advance and deposits, with top-ups where needed.
- £12,000 towards the BENS Winter Night Shelter, with help for guests to plan their move into accommodation.
- £23,000 held back for emergency accommodation under the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol, which opens when temperatures drop.
Those four come to £180,000. The announcement does not say how the remaining £132,582 of the allocation will be spent.
Cllr Andy Barnes, the council’s leader, said: “This funding will help us provide practical, tailored support to prevent homelessness and help people sleeping rough move towards settled accommodation.”
How Basildon’s numbers have changed
The rough sleeping snapshot is published each year by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Its autumn 2025 tables give these figures for Basildon:
- 2022: 1 person
- 2023: 4 people
- 2024: 16 people
- 2025: 27 people
The previous high was 24, in 2017. The figures for earlier years were 13 in 2015, 17 in 2016, 12 in 2018, 5 in 2019, 3 in 2020 and 2 in 2021.
Two cautions on the 2025 figure. First, it is an estimate. The tables record that Basildon’s 2018 to 2024 figures were street counts, and its 2025 figure was an estimate, so the method changed. Second, it is one night. The government says more than twice as many people sleep rough over a whole month as on any single night.
Even so, Basildon now stands out. Its 2025 rate was 13.9 people per 100,000 residents. The rate for England was 8.2, itself a record total of 4,793 people. In the same tables Southend recorded 15 people, Chelmsford 13, Thurrock 10 and Brentwood 4.
Of the 27 people counted in Basildon, 24 were men and 24 were aged 26 or over. Twenty-five were UK nationals.
What it means for you
- If you are worried about losing your home, contact the council early. Its Housing Solutions team is on housing.solutions@basildon.gov.uk. The council says to ask for help before you reach crisis point, not after.
- If you are behind with rent, the council’s rent payment difficulties page lists free debt advice services.
- If you see someone sleeping rough, you can send their location to StreetLink, which passes it to the local outreach team. Call 999 if the person seems unwell or in danger.
- Cost of living help is collected on the council’s Keep Your Costs Down pages.
The next official snapshot, for autumn 2026, is due to be published in 2027. We will report Basildon’s figure when it is.
Sources
- Basildon Borough Council, Basildon Council sets out homelessness support as part of winter campaign, 30 October 2026.
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025, published 26 February 2026, Tables 1, 2a to 2c, 3 and 5.
- Basildon Borough Council, Contact Housing Solutions.
Have your say