Today (10 October), the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced £84 million of funding to help support people rough sleeping and families facing homelessness this winter.
The investment will be distributed to councils across England, with London receiving the largest share of £36.5m.
This new funding comes alongside the Government’s record investment of £1 billion into ending homelessness and rough sleeping this year.
Responding to the news, Sean Palmer, Executive Director of St Mungo’s, said:
“Record numbers of people are currently without somewhere safe and stable to live, and thousands more are at risk of losing their homes, therefore St Mungo’s welcomes the Government’s announcement of a much needed extra £84 million for homelessness services.
Winter is a particularly challenging time for people affected by homelessness, so this injection of funding will be invaluable. It will help ensure services like St Mungo’s can continue to support people off the streets and into emergency accommodation, where they can rebuild their lives.
We do now need a clear and comprehensive strategy from the Government setting out how they are going to address this homelessness crisis and, alongside it, longer-term funding. This would allow local authorities and service charities like St Mungo’s to move towards sustainable interventions that end homelessness.
St Mungo’s stands ready to work alongside Government and the sector to end homelessness for good.”
The funding announcement coincides with St Mungo’s takeover of London Victoria station on World Homeless Day, where charity staff, volunteers, and St Mungo’s supporters will be coming together to raise awareness of how to support people experiencing homelessness across the railway network.
Since February 2025, St Mungo’s has provided specialist support to people rough sleeping in Charing Cross and Victoria railway stations – two of London’s biggest and busiest railway stations.
With the support of Network Rail, these teams work alongside station staff and passengers to engage with people who are sleeping rough, offering immediate help, and connecting people experiencing homelessness with accommodation, health and support services.
Between April and June 2025, 93% of those who engaged with St Mungo’s Outreach teams were referred onto further support, such as accommodation, health services, and employment and training support, to help them begin rebuilding their lives.
Hannah Faulkner, Head of Pan London Rough Sleeping Services and Prevention at St Mungo’s, said: “Our Outreach teams see high numbers of people rough sleeping in London’s train stations.
As well as containing basic facilities such as phone charging, showers, toilets, and shelter from the elements, railway stations have a near-constant stream of passengers passing through them.
This can mean that people experiencing homelessness in stations can be hidden or unknown to services. With dedicated teams on the ground every single day, we can build up valuable trust, and offer support to even more people who are rough sleeping in the capital, with the support of Network Rail, station staff, and members of the public.”
The charity has also provided specialist training for Network Rail colleagues as part of the Homelesswise initiative. The training program, which is run by St Mungo’s, provides businesses with the knowledge and skills they need to safely support people experiencing homelessness.
Since St Mungo’s Outreach teams began working in London Victoria and Charing Cross, referrals made by Network Rail staff to StreetLink have increased by 87%. The service, which St Mungo’s helps to run in London, connects people who are rough sleeping to local support. Referrals made by members of the public, meanwhile, have increased by 450%.
Kathleen O’Malley BEM, Social Value Manager for Network Rail said: “Stations are safe and secure environments that people gravitate towards. What’s great about this partnership is that it means that our staff here at Victoria station have the tools to signpost people in the right direction.
By having a dedicated Network Rail outreach team we have people focused on stations – and not a whole borough – which means that they have the time to invest in the relationships with the individuals we are trying to support”.
To find out more about the MHCLG’s latest funding announcement, visit £84 million injection to tackle homelessness – GOV.UK
