St Mungo’s and sector partners celebrate barriers to work finally being removed for some of the most marginalised
Today marks a pivotal policy change for people in supported accommodation who have long faced barriers to work – the end of the Supported Housing Work Disincentive. This is a perverse anomaly in the benefits system where thousands of people, including those that St Mungo’s supports, have faced a cliff edge in financial support as their benefits reduce so sharply that they are left worse off by working more. Alongside homelessness sector partners Centrepoint and Depaul as well as many others, this change is something that St Mungo’s has long advocated for. Recent figures from the Department of Work and Pensions projects that 325,000 people will be affected by this change. Many people living in supported accommodation want to work more hours but can’t because they face a cliff-edge in financial support. The rate at which Universal Credit and Housing Benefit is withdrawn for people in work means they quickly become liable to pay the high rents and service charges associated with supported accommodation out of their wages. Working more than a few hours a week may make it impossible for people to afford their accommodation. As a result, people who want to work are being prevented from doing so. It can also risk a return to homelessness if people build up significant rent arrears. We have seen heartbreaking cases of people not being able to take on extra hours – potentially losing their job as a result – because of the Supported Housing Work Disincentive. However, this policy change will put paid to that. It’s people like Claudia who will benefit massively from this change: Claudia is 27 years old. She lives in supported accommodation, and her rent is £400 a week. Claudia is on Universal Credit (UC) for her personal money and gets the standard allowance for a single person of her age, which is £424.90 a month. As she is in supported accommodation she is entitled to Housing Benefit (HB) for her rent. Claudia starts work and is earning £750 a month. The first calculation done is to see if she can still get UC. A 55% taper is applied to her wage. This means £750 x 55% = £412.50 is compared to her standard allowance. As her standard allowance is £12.40 higher than her tapered earnings, she continues to get UC at £12.40 a month. As she gets some UC she continues to receive her full Housing Benefit entitlement. In April 2026 her earnings increase to £900 a month net. Using the same UC calculation, Claudia is no longer entitled to UC (£900 x 55% = £495 – higher than her standard allowance). Housing Benefit now needs to be recalculated as she has lost entitlement to a full housing benefit award. Under the pre 5/10/26 Housing Benefit earnings disregard rules Housing Benefit is a weekly benefit. They only disregard the first £5 of her net earnings a week. They compare her now weekly wage of £207.69 per week income to the HB personal allowance for someone her age, which is £95.55 a week. She has excess income of £112.14 a week, HB take into account 65% of this which is £72.89 a week. Claudia’s Housing Benefit is reduced by £72.89 a week and she has to pay this shortfall towards her rent out of her earnings. This is known as the ‘cliff edge’ – Claudia earns an extra £150 a month, but has to pay £315.87 towards her rent as a result, so is considerably worse off by increasing her wage Under the new Housing Benefit earnings disregard from 5/10/26 – an additional earnings disregard Housing Benefit will disregard £5 + £ 77.73 a week of her £207.69 earnings a week. This reduces the amount of wages taken into account in the calculation. The rest of the calculation is the same. £207.69 – £5 – £77.73 = £124.96 – £95.55 X 65% = £19.12 Her Housing Benefit is now only reduced by £19.12 a week and she needs to contribute this towards her rent. Outcome – Claudia is £53.77 a week/ £233 a month better off with the new earnings disregard. Emma Haddad, CEO of St Mungo’s, said: “St Mungo’s has long campaigned for this change, so we absolutely welcome this landmark moment in removing barriers to work for people living in supported accommodation. “For many people, work is a way to build up financial resilience, independence, and supports with maintaining and sustaining a home. But for people living in supported housing, work has often felt out of reach. It is reasonable for benefits to reduce as earnings rise, however, the system that is being replaced withdrew support so sharply that people were left worse off by working more. We have seen heartbreaking cases where people had to choose between earning and keeping their accommodation because of this perverse anomaly in the benefits system.” St Mungo’s offers a number of employment services to help people build the confidence and skills to get back into work. Clients who engage with our Employment Support service are one and a half times more likely to move into settled accommodation than the wider St Mungo’s client group: 52%, compared with 34%. Employment gives people more than an income. It builds the routine, confidence and connections that make moving on possible, and make it last.
Homeless deaths rise by 6.8% in 2025 – St Mungo’s responds
New research released today by the Museum of Homelessness’s Dying Homeless Project* shows that deaths among people experiencing homelessness in the UK rose 6.8% in 2025, in comparison with the previous year. In 2025, 1,720 people sadly lost their lives without having a stable place to call home. This represents an increase from the 1,611 people who lost their lives in 2024. Tragically, at least 214 people died whilst rough sleeping or with no fixed abode. The research also highlighted an estimated 636 homeless deaths in London and the South of England; these areas have the highest levels of homelessness in the country. *Preliminary findings 01/10/2026 The data has been gathered through freedom of information requests, coroner inquests and memorials submitted by bereaved family members to the project. Homelessness can take many forms, whether that’s someone who’s rough sleeping, or living in an insecure living arrangement such as sofa surfing, or temporary accommodation, all of these people are represented in these statistics. Responding to the news, Sean Palmer, Executive Director of Transformation at St Mungo’s said: “St Mungo’s thoughts are with everyone who has lost someone whilst they were experiencing homelessness. These statistics from the Museum of Homelessness are a stark reminder of the dangers and health inequalities that people experiencing homelessness, and especially rough sleeping, face every day. “We know that people live longer, healthier and happier lives when they are supported out of homelessness, which is why St Mungo’s works so hard to provide people with specialist, personalised support to help them recover from homelessness and connect them with the services that can help. “This report, rightly, identifies that there is more to be done to ensure that health services are equipped to support people experiencing homelessness and that those services are properly integrated so that people get the support they need. We desperately need to end this ongoing tragedy.”
Bournemouth art installation tells the stories of hidden women experiencing homelessness
A unique art installation put together by St Mungo’s Outreach workers took place in Bournemouth over the weekend. The installation told the stories of hidden women facing homelessness. The numbers of women sleeping on the streets are vastly under-estimated in official government statistics because women often end up sleeping in places hidden from view, such as parks or behind secluded buildings. All rough sleeping is dangerous for the people who experience it, but women face particularly high levels of sexual abuse and violence, which is why they are more likely to be ‘hidden homeless’. To raise awareness of this important topic, women’s shoes, painted in St Mungo’s orange, have been placed around the Arts By The Sea festival. Each pair of shoes are attached to a QR code where you can listen to the stories of women we’ve supported and how they have survived through sofa surfing, living in unsafe situations, or avoiding public spaces. Julie* (name changed to preserve anonymity), who arrived in Bournemouth after she fled stalking and intimidation, told us: “I didn’t know where to sleep. I figured maybe the hospital and emergency room was the best… I was really scared to sleep on the streets. And I’m very, very glad that with the help of St Mungo’s, that’s not the case anymore.” The idea for the installation first came about from one of St Mungo’s very own Outreach workers. “This installation is an opportunity to shine a light on experiences that are often overlooked. Every day our team meets people with remarkable strength and resilience who are navigating extremely difficult circumstances. Through this piece, we hope to encourage understanding, start meaningful conversations, and remind people that homelessness is a human issue that affects our whole community.” Lindsay Lyall, St Mungo’s Bournemouth Service Manager This week, we have also been taking part in the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census by gathering vital data through a street count and directly supporting the women we find through these counts in Bournemouth. The Women’s Rough Sleeping Census is the only collection of data and insight that brings together local authorities and charities to build a clearer picture of women’s homelessness, ensuring that more women are seen, heard, and supported. The previous census showed that there may have been 10 times as many women identified as rough sleeping in certain areas, in comparison to official government statistics from the Rough Sleeping Snapshot. There was also a 39% increase in the number of women identified as sleeping rough since the 2024 Census data was collected. St Mungo’s is one of the largest providers of outreach services for people who are rough sleeping in England.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham announces new programme to offer ‘routes off the streets’ for anyone rough sleeping by Christmas
Today’s announcement marks a pivotal moment: an acknowledgement from the highest level of political leadership that rough sleeping should not exist, and a decisive step forward to end it once and for all. The Prime Minister was right to recognise rough sleeping as one of the biggest moral scandals of our time as he entered Downing Street for the first time. In 21st Century Britain, nobody should be forced to sleep on the streets. We have long been calling for urgent and decisive action to end rough sleeping, and we wholeheartedly welcome Andy Burnham’s commitment to offer a route off the streets for everyone sleeping rough by Christmas, with a longer term, sustainable, housing-led programme developed alongside. It is exactly the kind of intervention needed to save lives, and to begin turning the tide on record levels of rough sleeping. Our frontline teams meet thousands of people sleeping rough every single night of the year. We have been particularly alarmed by the stark increase in people who are trying to survive from one day to the next, while also managing multiple interconnected challenges, such as serious physical health conditions, mental ill-health, and alcohol and substance support needs. Every night on the streets causes people more harm. It deepens trauma, negatively impacts mental and physical health, and makes it even harder to access support. Housing is key, but housing alone will not be enough. A roof over somebody’s head provides immediate safety, but lasting recovery requires intensive, person-centred, joined-up support. That today’s announcement provides both a commitment to get people off the streets quickly, as well as the tailored support needed to help them stay off them for good, is exactly the right approach. During the pandemic, the Everyone In initiative reduced rough sleeping significantly. It showed that when national leadership is accompanied by local action, rough sleeping is not inevitable. Prevention measures were equally important. The eviction ban and increases to Local Housing Allowance rates prevented many people from becoming homeless in the first place. The evidence is clear: one-off interventions can only transform into lasting solutions if we also address the systemic drivers of homelessness. The challenge now is turning emergency action into lasting, sustainable change. That means scaling up the proven interventions that help people leave the streets for good; addressing the drivers of homelessness to prevent it before it happens – ensuring housing is genuinely affordable and investing in vital support services; and taking bold action now, not in the years to come, to ensure the state never makes anyone homeless. Burnham’s greatest challenge will be sustaining this ambition and galvanising action across government, local government and wider society to address the root causes of homelessness. We stand ready to work with the Government, this winter and beyond, to make that ambition a reality.
Multiple support needs and homelessness still go hand in hand, according to recent Government data
Today saw the launch of the latest statutory homelessness figures from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. These figures highlight the number of people facing homelessness who have approached their local council for support. Coming just over three weeks after Andy Burnham’s landmark announcement to end rough sleeping, the statistics paint a sobering picture of what still needs to happen to achieve this ambition. Emma Haddad, CEO at St Mungo’s, responds to the data: “Today’s figures show why the Prime Minister’s commitment to end rough sleeping is so important. There have been small improvements in some areas, but the overall picture remains stark: thousands of people are still being pushed into homelessness or forced to turn to councils in a state of emergency. “Between January and March, 83,850 households were owed support to prevent or relieve homelessness, including 39,200 households at risk of homelessness and 44,650 households who were already homeless. The end of a private rented tenancy remains the most common reason people are at risk of losing their home, underlining the urgent need to make renting safer and more secure. “The repeal of the Renters’ Rights Act, announced earlier in the year, should help reduce this pressure in future by putting an end to ‘no-fault’ evictions – but legislation alone will not end homelessness. These figures show homelessness is about far more than a lack of housing. Most households seeking help have additional support needs, underlining the need for investment in mental health, substance use and wider support services alongside secure housing. Our frontline teams see that the longer these needs aren’t addressed, the more protracted people’s health needs become and the harder it is to help people recover from homelessness or prevent it outright. “That is why we need system-wide change: preventing homelessness outright, more secure housing, and the right support at the right time for people facing the greatest barriers. At St Mungo’s, our frontline teams see every day that with safe accommodation and sustained as well as tailored support, people can recover from homelessness and rebuild their lives. “Andy Burnham’s announcement is a welcome and important opportunity to drive that change forward. We now need to see that ambition turned into delivery, so fewer people are pushed into homelessness and rough sleeping can be ended for good.” For a breakdown of the figures, please see the below: Initial assessments were made for 92,200 households, down 1% from January to March 2025, but up from 84,250 households in England in October to December 2025. From these assessments, 83,850 were assessed as owed a duty to prevent or relieve homelessness, down 2.1% from the same time last year. Of these: 39,200, 46.8% of households owed a duty, were assessed as at risk of becoming homelessness and therefore owed a prevention duty, up 1.8% from the same time last year. 44,650, 53.2% of households owed a duty, were initially assessed as homeless and therefore owed a relief duty, down 5.3% from the same time last year. 35,130 households had a prevention duty end between January to March 2026, down 3.6% from the same quarter last year. Of these households: Most had their prevention duty end with the household securing accommodation for 6 months or more, 54.7% or 19,230 households. Up 3.6 percentage points compared to the same time last year. A quarter became homeless, 25% or 8,770 households would then be owed a relief duty. Down 2.4 percentage points compared to the same time last year. 51,600 households had a relief duty end between January to March 2026, down 3.5% from the same quarter last year. Of these households: Most had their relief duty end because their homelessness had not been relieved within 56 days, 47.1% or 24,280 households, meaning their local authority would need to assess whether the households would be owed additional support though the main homelessness duty. This is down 4.6 percentage points compared to the same time last year. Over a third, 34.8% or 17,950 households had their relief duty end with the households securing accommodation for 6 months or more. Up 3.9 percentage points compared to the same time last year. 14,690 households had their main homelessness duty come to an end between January to March 2026, up 11.5% from the same time last year. Of these, 11,650 households, 79.3%, had their main duty come to and end due to accepting an offer of settled accommodation, a higher proportion than the same time last year up 1.6 percentage points. 135,580 households were in temporary accommodation on 31 March 2026, an increase of 1.1% from the previous quarter and 3.6% from the same time last year. London and other major cities had the highest rates of households in temporary accommodation, with 21.1 households living in temporary accommodation per 1,000 households in London. This is compared with 5.5 households per 1,000 households in England. 51,390 (37.9%) households were in nightly paid self-contained accommodation. Compared to the same time last year this is up 2.3 percentage points. End of private rented Assured Shorthold Tenancy remained the most common reason for households being owed a prevention duty, accounting for 14,120 or 36.0% of households. The proportion of households owed a duty with one or more support needs has been increasing annually, the most common support need is history of mental health problems, accounting for 30.6%, 24.1% being physical ill health and disability and 13.4% at risk or experienced domestic abuse. People with multiple complex needs (three or more support needs) increased by nearly 3% from the same time last year.
St Mungo’s responds to incident in Covent Garden
Following the incident near to one of our services at Endell Street yesterday, we can now confirm that all colleagues and clients of St Mungo’s are safe and accounted for. Residents are being supported by our specialist frontline colleagues. We can also confirm that the perpetrator is neither a resident of our service at this location nor have they been supported by St Mungo’s more widely. None of our clients were affected by the attack. For the benefit of the people we support, we kindly request respect and privacy after this distressing incident. Our thoughts remain with those who were affected by this incident.
St Mungo’s responds to a concerning rise in people with multiple complex needs sleeping rough on the streets of London
New data released this week (31 July 2026) by the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) shows that 3,959 people were sleeping rough in London in April to June this year, a 10% decrease from the same period last year, and a small increase (0.38%) from the previous quarter. The data also shows that during the period: Outreach teams in the capital recorded 1,685 people sleeping rough for the first time, a 16% decrease from the same period last year. There were 680 people assessed as living on the streets, a 6% increase from the preceding period. The proportion of people seen rough sleeping with a mental health need increased slightly, with 59% recorded as having a mental health support need, compared to 55% in the previous quarter (January-March 2026). There has been a 12% rise in the number of people identified as having multiple support needs such as mental health, alcohol use and substance use, rising to 41.1%. Emma Haddad, Chief Executive of St Mungo’s said: “It’s been less than a fortnight since Andy Burnham stood outside Number 10 and used his very first speech as Prime Minister to make an ambitious pledge to end rough sleeping. This was a huge and welcome moment. Today’s figures show rough sleeping in the capital remains high, with almost 4,000 people forced to sleep on the streets in the extreme heat over the past quarter. That this is a slight decrease on the same time last year is welcome news, and this needs to become a trend. But the 12% rise in the number of people with multiple support needs is incredibly worrying. Our frontline teams are on the streets every single day and night of the year. We do everything possible to provide tailored support to people sleeping rough and get them into safe emergency accommodation as quickly as possible. More often than not, we see homelessness go hand in hand with multiple and complex needs such as poor mental health, substance use, domestic abuse and trauma. We know that 41% of people who are rough sleeping in London are currently living with these complex needs which need urgent and tailored support. Ending rough sleeping once and for all requires three things: emergency response to get people off the streets and into safety, with access to accommodation and support based on needs rather than eligibility; measures to prevent homelessness before it occurs, identifying people at risk of homelessness and ceasing all homelessness from public institutions; and an overhaul of the systemic issues that cause homelessness, from raising local housing allowance to make rents affordable, to investing in support for people with complexity of needs, and increasing the supply of social housing. Today’s figures also show that 680 people in London were recorded as living on the streets, a 6% increase from the first quarter of this year. This is a moral tragedy and indicative of why there is no one-size-fits all approach or system to support people in their recovery from homelessness. Without the right services in place, we leave people at risk of enduring rough sleeping. We have seen what happens when the right services across housing, health, welfare and the voluntary sector work together to identify people at risk of rough sleeping and provide tailored support before they reach the streets. The Prime Minister must continue to champion and own his pledge to end rough sleeping. Through sustained political support, ending rough sleeping, both in London and beyond, is within reach.”
Kerry Godliman becomes new St Mungo’s High-Profile Ambassador
We’re thrilled to welcome actor and comedian Kerry Godliman as St Mungo’s newest high-profile Ambassador. To mark the news, Kerry recently visited one of our women-only services in London and rolled up her sleeves for a Putting Down Roots (PDR) in-reach gardening session. Kerry is no stranger to St Mungo’s. She first got involved in 2022, when she was invited to visit our Putting Down Roots show garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, and has been behind us ever since. She’s championed our Take the Lead dog walking challenge with her dog Molly, performed at our Laugh Out Loud for St Mungo’s comedy night, and cheered us on across her social media. A keen gardener herself, she’s joined PDR sessions a few times before, so stepping onto one of our service gardens was something she was really excited about. During her latest visit, Kerry spent the morning meeting the team and hearing how the service supports women recovering from homelessness. Our women-only services offer a safe, trauma-informed space where women can rebuild their confidence, wellbeing and independence, surrounded by a supportive community. She then joined an in-reach gardening session led by Emily Lamey, Gardener Trainer. Putting Down Roots (PDR) is our horticultural training and wellbeing project. It uses gardening to support people in their recovery: building routine, confidence, and new skills. As clients learn to nurture and grow plants, they build the confidence to nurture themselves too. Speaking at the Putting Down Roots session, Emily said: “There’s something powerful about getting your hands in the soil and watching things grow – it builds routine, focus and a real sense of achievement. Kerry threw herself right in to the gardening today and we’d love more clients to come and experience this for themselves at PDR sessions”. Project Worker, Jasmine, said: “It meant a lot to welcome Kerry and show her what our women-only service is really about. This is a safe space where women can take a breath, rebuild their confidence and know they’re not on their own – and days like this help more people see the difference that makes” We’re delighted to have Kerry as a St Mungo’s High-Profile Ambassador and look forward to continuing our work together through her honorary role. To find out more about Kerry and our other St Mungo’s Ambassadors, click here.
St Mungo’s responds to Andy Burnham taking office as Prime Minister
Today, Andy Burnham takes office as the new Prime Minister of the UK, having secured support from the majority of his fellow Labour MPs. His pledge to issue his first instruction in office on ending rough sleeping in Britain is a strong and welcome signal of intent, and we hope it marks the beginning of sustained, cross-government action. While it is only day one for Andy Burnham, it is day 222 of the National Plan to End Homelessness, a once in a generation strategy with ambitions set to be realised by 2030. With over 76,000 households in England assessed as homeless or at risk of homelessness, and nearly 4,800 people estimated to be sleeping rough, there is significant work to do, requiring robust social, strategic and legislative change. Already in 2026, we have seen the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act and the repeal of the Vagrancy Act, both of which are positive steps to addressing the causes of homelessness. We are pleased to see the new Prime Minister advocate for the adoption of a “national Housing First philosophy” to address record levels of homelessness across the country, and a commitment to build more council housing. Housing First is rooted in the principle that everyone has the right to a safe, stable home, with the right support in place to help them move on from homelessness for good. At St Mungo’s, we have seen first-hand how this approach can help people sustain tenancies and provide the foundation for long-term recovery. On the launch of the National Plan to End Homelessness, Burnham also called for a coordinated response to the systemic issues, including a greater focus on prevention, and addressing health inequality and employment support through integrated services. But more needs to be done, and we hope that the new Prime Minister – with his experience of coordinating The Greater Manchester Homelessness Prevention Strategy, and the city’s “A Bed Every Night” programme – will maintain the momentum required, and commit to implementing further measures for meaningful policy change. As always, we want to work collaboratively with the government, sharing our clients’ voices and experiences, as well as best practice from our dedicated frontline teams and specialist services. We urge the new Prime Minister and his cabinet to take bold and decisive action in tackling homelessness, and to work with organisations on the frontline to ensure that lived experience is at the heart of effective and long term change. Photograph © House of Commons/UK Parliament
Freeze in Local Housing Allowance driving more people into homelessness
Leading organisations in the homelessness sector, including St Mungo’s, have contributed to a joint report illustrating the impact of the freeze in Local Housing Allowance (LHA) in driving people into homelessness. This report highlights the specific impacts that frozen LHA rates have on living standards, housing conditions, landlord behaviour, in addition to recovery from homelessness. LHA rates were designed to keep the cheapest 30% of properties in local areas affordable to people on lower incomes, yet now only 1.8% of rents are affordable. Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, Emma Haddad, said: “For the past two years, Local Housing Allowance rates have been frozen, leaving them increasingly out of step with private rents and placing growing pressure on those at the greatest risk of homelessness. During that time, rents have continued to rise across the country, undermining the very purpose of LHA: to help people on low incomes access and sustain a home in the private rented sector. “As we point out in the report, every day our frontline teams see the severe impact of this. Rising gaps between LHA and market rents can force people out of housing that quickly becomes unaffordable, pushing people into homelessness and making it harder for them to find a home where they can rebuild their lives. “This is clearly a big issue, and change is needed to prevent more people from being squeezed out of the private rented sector into homelessness and – at the sharpest end – onto the streets. Alongside other homelessness organisations, we are highlighting the impact of frozen LHA rates on the people we support. Re-aligning LHA rates with local rents would help close the affordability gap, prevent homelessness before it occurs, and create more routes out of homelessness for those already experiencing it. It would give more people the chance to move successfully into more permanent accommodation and continue their journey towards recovery and independence.” You can read the full report here.