40 years - Our story
Turning forty is a milestone for anyone. For some it is perhaps a landmark that would rather be forgotten, a source of predictable jokes about being 'over the hill'. However, like many others, St Mungo's are not ashamed of our maturing years.
In fact, St Mungo's are incredibly proud of all we have achieved over the past four decades to help hundreds of thousands of homeless people. And whilst we may take a small amount of time to celebrate with friends and supporters, this is no time for us to rest on our laurels. We know that our 40th year will be a busy one - perhaps even one of our busiest!
St Mungo's has come a long way since our original inception in 1969. Originally a grassroots movement started by dynamic and committed individuals who pushed a pram around London's streets delivering soup for rough sleepers, we are now the UK's leading charity helping homeless people.
One of St Mungo's first properties, the former Marmite factory in Vauxhall
The intervening years have seen St Mungo's grow tremendously. In many ways, St Mungo's in 2009 is almost unrecognisable from the organisation that opened the doors of the old Marmite factory in Vauxhall and the old Charing Cross hospital to hundreds of rough sleepers seeking refuge from London's cold, lonely and unforgiving streets. And whilst much may have changed in our environment and how we operate - our ethos, drive and commitment remain the same.
Mental health has historically been St Mungo's biggest specialism - we brought the Clubhouse model to the UK in the 1980s, which is a mutual self help and support group with an ethos of work for those recovering from severe mental illness, and many of our projects have their roots in the Homeless Mentally Ill Initiative of the early 1990s.
Homelessness is still a serious issue and it is still broadly the same people who are at the bottom of the pile. These are the people St Mungo's was set up to serve, and we'll continue to be proactive in adapting and innovating to meet their needs.
As ever, we remain dependent upon both government commitment and public generosity to continue to develop our vital work. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our supporters without whom our work would not have been possible. Your help means that we can continue to offer hope and a future for so many people.
Click here to read more about our history.
visit our other Action Week '09 pages:
About mental health & homelessness
Happiness Matters to our clients
40 years - Memories of St Mungo's
- Tell us about a rough sleeper
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News
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