Leaving the streets isn’t easy
In this long read, Outreach Coordinator for our Tower Hamlets team, Leon, discusses the complexities of supporting people away from homelessness. First, a bit about me… I was born in England but moved to Edinburgh within my first year. I lived with my mum in different Thatcher era council estates. Music was my escape from […]
The new NHS plan for mental health services has a clear offer for people sleeping rough
For organisations who have campaigned for many years on homeless health, the NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan is a cause for celebration. Beatrice Orchard, St Mungo’s Head of Policy, Campaigns and Research, explains why the plan must deliver on its ambition to make sure everyone sleeping rough can access the mental health support they need. […]
Why it’s time for the NHS to step up and play its part in ending rough sleeping
Rory Weal, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer, explains why St Mungo’s, together with more than 20 homelessness and health organisations, have joined forces to urge NHS England to spend more on specialist health interventions for people experiencing homelessness. Rough sleeping has more than doubled since 2010. Spiralling housing costs, increasing insecurity for private renters […]
Why the budget 2018 is a missed opportunity for ending rough sleeping
Following the announcement of the autumn 2018 budget, Rory Weal, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer, analyses what the Government’s plans mean for those sleeping rough or at risk of homelessness. Amongst talk of an ‘end of austerity’ budget, the Chancellor yesterday delivered one that was really a missed opportunity from the perspective of homelessness. It […]
A turning point in the history of rough sleeping?
As the Government publishes its new Rough Sleeping Strategy, Beatrice Orchard, St Mungo’s Head of Policy, Campaigns and Research, welcomes a good first step, but calls for more work to ensure no one has to sleep rough ever again At the last count 4,751 people were sleeping rough on any one night in England. Each […]
A safe, secure future for homeless hostels
The government’s decision to not go ahead with proposed changes to funding for supported housing is a victory for our #SaveHostels campaign. Robyn Casey, St Mungo’s Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer, explains why this is so important and why we now need to secure funding for support costs This week the government announced that […]
We must not let fatalism set in
Rory Weal, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer at St Mungo’s, explains why we’re calling on Government to enact urgent measures to stop the scandal of people dying on the streets One week ago marked the first anniversary of the Grenfell Tower disaster. It was a time to reflect not only on the lives that were lost […]
Protecting the foundations of hostel funding
Emma Webb, Campaigns Officer, explains why we’ve been campaigning to save hostels… Today (on World Homeless Day) we handed in our Save Hostels, Rebuild Lives petition – calling on the government not to put homeless hostels at risk as they change the way supported housing is funded. More than 12,000 people signed the petition, and […]
Saving hostels, rebuilding lives
Dominic Williamson, Executive Director of Strategy and Policy, explains why we’re launching our Save Hostels Rebuild Lives campaign… In August 2016, our CEO Howard Sinclair wrote in The Guardian about how government proposals on future funding were creating great uncertainty for organisations like St Mungo’s that provide supported housing for homeless people. Nearly a year […]
Save Hostels. Rebuild Lives.
This week, St Mungo’s launched our Save Hostels Rebuild Lives campaign, calling on the government to properly consider the damaging effect changes to funding for supported housing could have on homeless people. Take five minutes to find out why, and what you can do to help. Many people who are homeless or at risk of […]
