Andy Burnham has announced he will double spending on ending rough sleeping to almost £900m by the end of the current parliament, because nothing says "we're serious" like adding a few hundred million to the pile. The prime minister has pledged to offer every rough sleeper in England a safe route off the streets or wider support as a central part of his premiership - a promise that sounds suspiciously like something a government should have been doing all along.

Ahead of a Downing Street summit on ending rough sleeping on Monday, Burnham said the budget would bring a further £432m commitment to tackling homelessness. That's on top of an initial £442m from Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government budgets to be allocated before March 2027 - because nothing says "long-term solution" like a funding announcement with a deadline.

Speaking before the meeting, which will bring together charities and businesses, Burnham said: "Rough sleeping isn't a fact of life. It's a thing governments either choose to accept or don't. Well, I don't accept it. That's why we're doubling funding so that people aren't just offered a safe route off the streets this winter but have that same support right through the rest of this parliament too. But we can't do it alone. If we're going to end rough sleeping, we need every part of society behind us on this. So today we're bringing together businesses, charities and local leaders in Downing Street to make sure this is a solution that lasts."

With just two months to go before his Christmas deadline, Burnham's mission is already under way. Specialist outreach teams and new accommodation spaces are operating in Coventry, with further provision being rolled out in places including Plymouth and Camden over the coming weeks - because nothing says "festive spirit" like a last-minute dash to house people before the tinsel comes down.

The additional funding is intended to solve the problem in the longer term. As mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham introduced schemes such as A Bed Every Night to offer emergency accommodation, but while the number of rough sleepers fell, it then began to increase again. Burnham has previously said this was because "we were the only place providing that level of support and, understandably, people then travelled to Greater Manchester to access that support" - a phenomenon known in policy circles as "build it and they will come, then keep coming." He has said ending rough sleeping across the country will only be possible "if all areas are pulling in the same direction, and that's what this funding is designed to achieve."

Monday's summit will bring together businesses, charities, housing providers and local leaders. The National Housing Federation is working with housing associations to identify at least 2,000 potential homes and bed spaces, including empty properties that could be brought back into use - because apparently we had spare homes lying around this whole time. Virgin Media O2 will provide practical digital support to frontline organisations, while St Mungo's and Haircuts4Homeless will work with L'Oréal on hair salons and wellbeing provision for those who have been sleeping rough - because nothing says "dignity" like a good blow-dry.

Angela Rayner, the housing secretary, called it a "big ambition" and said the government would "not back down from making sure everyone has the offer of a route off the streets this Christmas." She added: "The first step is giving people a roof over their head and freedom from the nightly struggle to find somewhere safe to sleep. But Christmas is only the beginning and that's why we will keep working together to tackle the root causes of homelessness and end rough sleeping for good."

The homelessness charity Shelter welcomed the announcement. Its acting CEO, Mairi MacRae, said the funding showed "the government understands that a safe home is not a privilege, it is a necessity" - a radical notion that apparently needed a few hundred million pounds to gain traction.

However, the Conservatives dismissed the move. Shadow housing secretary Katie Lam accused the government of wanting to spend too much money on ending rough sleeping: "Burnham is throwing another £432m at a problem he failed to solve in Greater Manchester. Under Labour, rough sleeping has hit record highs - yet their answer is always more taxpayers' money and more empty promises." Referring to the chancellor, she said: "[John] Healey must use his budget this week to cut taxes for working people, get the ballooning benefits bill under control, and stop pushing up energy prices. Instead of piling more costs on to hard-working people, Healey must focus on easing the cost of living and delivering real value for taxpayers' money."

So there you have it: a government promising to end rough sleeping by Christmas, a charity saying housing is a necessity, and an opposition complaining that fixing homelessness costs too much. Merry Christmas, everyone.