Ending Rough Sleeping Will Take More Than Government: The Case for Public, Private and Proximate Partnership

The Government’s latest announcement on homelessness is both a major commitment and a call for collaboration.

With new funding being directed towards rough sleeping and a clear ambition to help people move off the streets, the challenge now is not simply about policy. It is about delivery.

At Busari Group, we believe homelessness is one of those issues that cannot be solved by government alone.

Housing is essential, but housing by itself is not enough. For many people, homelessness is connected to mental health, substance use, family breakdown, unemployment, leaving care, or other complex circumstances. A bed for the night can provide safety, but a sustainable route out of homelessness requires much more.

That is why public and private partnership matters.

Government and local authorities can provide policy leadership, funding, commissioning and an understanding of local need. The private sector can bring property, investment, development capability, speed and scale.

But the model should go further than traditional public-private partnership.

Experienced homelessness providers, charities, churches, community organisations and people with lived experience all have an important role to play.

We believe the strongest model is:

Public + Private + Specialist + Charitable + Proximate

Government creates the framework and helps identify need. Property owners, developers and investors help provide suitable accommodation. Experienced operators deliver effective services. Charities and community organisations provide support and trusted relationships. And people who have experienced homelessness themselves help ensure that solutions work in practice.

Each party brings something different to the table.

There is also an important role for responsible private investment. Capital can help acquire properties, bring empty buildings back into use, develop new accommodation and create longer-term housing solutions.

But private-sector involvement has to be structured properly. Homelessness should never simply become another opportunity to extract profit from public spending.

The goal should be a model that delivers good housing, value for the public purse, measurable outcomes for residents and a reasonable, sustainable return for investors.

Commercial sustainability and social impact do not have to be opposites.

The Government’s immediate focus creates urgency, particularly as winter approaches. But the bigger opportunity is to build something that lasts beyond one funding cycle or one political commitment.

The journey should ultimately be:

At Busari Group, we are interested in exploring how property development, private investment and commercial discipline can work alongside government and specialist organisations to help make that journey possible.

We do not believe any single organisation has the answer to homelessness.

The opportunity is to bring the right people together, identify the real barriers within the

system and build practical solutions around them.

Government has opened the door for partnership.

The private sector, charities, communities and those closest to the issue should be ready to walk through it.