St Mungo's Opening doors for homeless people

St Mungo's 40th Anniversary Parliamentary Reception

St Mungo's hosted a Parliamentary Reception on 6 July 2009, to mark its 40th anniversary year. The three main political parties were represented to celebrate achievements across the sector, and ambitions for the future.

Attendees heard speeches from Ian Austin MP, Minister for Homelessness, Grant Shapps MP, Conservative Shadow Minister for Housing and Sarah Teather MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Housing.

Part of St Mungo's Action Week 2009, which focuses on breaking the link between mental ill health and street homelessness, St Mungo's Parliamentary Reception marked the launch of Happiness Matters - Full Report. This report is the result of a peer research study in which 12 St Mungo's clients interviewed people who are or have been homeless about their mental health experience and needs.

Martyn Warr, a member of St Mungo's client group Outside In and a peer researcher for the Happiness Matters research, opened the speeches with a moving account of his own experience of the impact appropriate mental health support can have in the recovery process.

Conservative Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps MP, who was the evening's host, paid tribute to one of the founder's of St Mungo's, Harry Stone, who was entertaining guests with stories of how St Mungo's became established. He congratulated St Mungo's on its success and achievements and committed to incorporating the findings of the Happiness Matters research into a forthcoming report on mental health from the Conservative Homelessness Foundation, which he chairs.

Highlighting the work of St Mungo's in her constituency of Brent East, including the rebuilding of the Pound Lane hostel, Liberal Democrat Shadow Housing Minister Sarah Teather MP congratulated St Mungo's for focusing on mental health and welcomed the Happiness Matters report as a vital piece of research that makes evident the significance of mental health in relation to rough sleepers.

Ian Austin MP thanked St Mungo's for its "commitment and determination". He noted that the Government had met its initial target to cut rough sleeping by two thirds, but that this was possible only due to the efforts of the people in the room - third sector providers and campaigners whose expertise and persistence had pushed homelessness and housing continually up the agenda. Despite this success, Ian Austin stressed how the new strategy is needed if further progress is to be made, and an end put to rough sleeping by 2012.

St Mungo's Chief Executive Charles Fraser described the evolution of St Mungo's since its origins as a soup run in 1969. A mantra that has permeated St Mungo's ethos through this time has been "Support for those who can, care for those who can't." Charles said society could be proud of changes made over the years, saying the sector had seen "dormitory to en-suite in 25 years." Charles Fraser announced that St Mungo's would be supporting clients to stand as councillors in the local elections next May.