There’s real momentum behind ending rough sleeping right now, with a goal to get everyone off the streets by Christmas. As Andy Burnham put it:
“Public money alone won’t solve this. Ending rough sleeping has to be something we all take responsibility for. That means councils, charities, businesses, faith groups and local communities all pulling together. And, even more importantly, it means all of us asking what we can do to help.”
Wanting to help is the easy part. Knowing how is harder.
It starts with knowing what to do
Most people who want to help someone sleeping rough don’t know where to start. Do you offer money? Call someone? Leave it to the professionals? Since 2018, HomelessWise has trained more than 5,000 people to answer that question with confidence, not guesswork. Every session is delivered by trainers with extensive experience in housing and homelessness. Network Rail, Nationwide Building Society, Bloomberg and McDonald’s have all brought it into their teams.
Three ways to bring HomelessWise to your team
Different teams encounter homelessness in different ways, so training is shaped around your sector and location too. A retailer might focus on rough sleeping around a specific high street. A construction firm, on the barriers that keep people out of work. A bank, on financial exclusion.
Sessions can dig into a particular angle too, how it affects LGBTQ+ people or women, or its link to health. And they’re always grounded in local data, services and examples, not just national statistics.
Online. Picture a nationwide chain of stores: security staff who meet someone sleeping rough at 6am, front-of-house staff caught in a difficult conversation mid-shift. One online session reaches staff across every site, giving everyone the same practical knowledge and confidence, wherever they work.
In-person workshops. A head office team might book a couple of hours in the boardroom. Full discussion, case studies, space to ask the harder questions face to face.
HomelessWise Mobile. For teams who’d rather see it than hear about it, this takes small groups on a walking tour through Westminster, the area most affected by rough sleeping in the country, past some of St Mungo’s key services.
Network Rail’s platform staff, who see rough sleeping as part of their daily environment, came away from their session saying:
“The training made me more confident to approach someone who appears homeless.”
Why now
With a Christmas deadline on the table, this is something businesses can act on now, not just support in principle. When staff know what to look for, they respond with more confidence. They can signpost people to the right support rather than trying to solve the situation themselves.
See what HomelessWise could do for your team
Ahead of World Homeless Day on 10 October, we’re running a free one-hour online taster. You’ll get a practical introduction to homelessness, challenge some common assumptions, and explore how your business can respond.
HomelessWise: Understanding Homelessness, Challenging Perceptions
Wednesday 7 October 2026, 1:15–2:15pm, online
Want a bespoke session for your team? homelesswise@mungos.org
