Funding streams made available to local areas to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, substance misuse, mental health and criminal justice are important and welcome. They are delivered by committed teams of civil servants and create positive impact for many people. However, the way in which government funding streams are traditionally designed, offered, coordinated and monitored can limit the collective impact they have for people facing multiple disadvantage. This briefing is the first part in an exploration of the various streams of funding that have been made available to local areas over the last 18 months and the impact these have had on the ability of local areas to support people experiencing multiple disadvantage.