St Mungo's Opening doors for London's homeless

Street outreach teams

Sleeping rough brings with it a network of complications, from life-threatening health conditions to loss of self-worth and aspiration.

Isolation and fear often mean that rough sleepers find it difficult to trust other people, and the longer they remain on the street, the more excluded they become from society.

St Mungo's street outreach teams go out every night to find people who are sleeping rough. They gradually build up trusting relationships, and offer support and encouragement to bring homeless men and women off the streets and into appropriate accommodation.

In 2006/07, our teams worked in seven London boroughs. We also worked with street drinkers who were not necessarily sleeping rough, providing a number of support programmes across London. The London Borough of Westminster has by far the highest density of rough sleepers in the UK. Here, we work in close partnership with two other service providers, running an assessment and referral center where clients can get support and advice on a range of services - including health, drug and alcohol use, relocation, community support and housing.

In 2006/07 St Mungo's street outreach teams helped 1,283 people off the streets and into appropriate accommodation.