St Mungo's is a charity exempt from registration. Although we are not registered with the Charity Commission, both they and the Inland Revenue recognise our charitable status.
Being a charity exempt from registration means that we get all the recognition and benefits of being a charity without many of the restrictions imposed on the more conventional charities.
Most charities are strictly limited by their charter in the type of work they are allowed to undertake. Because of our unique status, we are able to offer the widest possible range of services to homeless people. This ranges from street outreach, to skills and employment projects, to resettlement into independent living. Thus, we are able to look after a homeless person from sleeping on the streets to hopefully having a job and their own place to live.
When St Mungo's first began its work with homeless people, it registered as a Housing Association. In time, as we recognised that it would be beneficial to have charitable status, we were advised that as we were already audited by the Housing Corporation (now the Tenants Services Authority) that we should keep our existing status, while becoming a charity exempt from registration.
For more information about charities exempt from registration visit: Charity Commission, exempt and excepted charities
Fully audited financial information is available in our Financial Statements 31 March 2010.