St Mungo’s responds to data release showing another rise in London rough sleeping
New data released today (31 January 2025) by the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) which covers October to December 2024 has shown an increase in rough sleeping. In total, 4612 people were recorded as rough sleeping in London between October to December 2024. This is an increase of 5% on the same period last year. The data also shows that during this period: 2115 people were rough sleeping for the first time, a 7% decrease on the same figure this time last year. 1872 people were intermittently rough sleeping, 16% higher than the same period last year 704 people deemed to be living on the streets, 26% higher than the same figure this time last year. 1767 had a mental health support need, 50.1% of the total number of people rough sleeping Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, Emma Haddad, said: “That the latest rough sleeping figures for London have continued to rise is incredibly concerning. Behind every number is a person who has spent the night on the pavement in winter. “Our teams are supporting people off the streets as quickly as possible, and they will continue to do so. But we simply have to change the system so that people are getting help that prevents them having to sleep rough in the first place. “A homelessness system focused on prevention means no one released from prison or hospital or care onto the streets; no one evicted from their accommodation because the landlord wants to double the rent; no one unable to find anywhere affordable to live because housing benefit has been frozen. There are tangible things that would prevent people having no choice but to sleep rough, and we know they are achievable by working together.”
Mayor of London visits St Mungo’s-run service as record £10m announced to end rough sleeping
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, visited a St Mungo’s-run service today, which is part of his four existing ‘No Second Night Out (NSNO) services. As the Mayor’s charity partner, St Mungo’s delivers specialist care and support for Londoners sleeping rough through NSNO. This includes round-the-clock support in reconnecting service users with their families and friends, advice on what financial support they may be entitled to, helping to secure onward move-on accommodation, and mental health support. With rough sleeping having risen across the country and recent City Hall data showing a 20 per cent annual increase in the number of Londoners on the streets for the first time, [1] Sadiq has committed a record extra £10m to his rough sleeping budget [2], focused on ‘prevention as well as cure’, to put the capital on a pathway to end rough sleeping for good by 2030. The record £10m funding announced today will expand a network of ‘Ending Homelessness Hubs’. The hubs are safe places for people sleeping rough for the first time to be assessed by professional teams, so that plans can be made quickly to support them away from the streets in the long-term. The expansion will establish an Ending Homelessness Hub for every sub-region of the capital [3], with a brand new fifth hub set to open in early 2026, helping an additional 500 people per year. For the first time ever, a new focus on prevention will be built into the service, meaning that teams will step in and provide support to high-risk Londoners before they spend a first night on the streets. These changes will be rolled out in co-ordination with London boroughs and the wider homelessness sector, and could see Ending Homelessness Hubs taking referrals from trusted partners such as day centres, even if individuals have not previously slept rough but are at immediate risk of doing so. Emma Haddad, CEO of St Mungo’s, said: “With the capital seeing some of the highest rates of people rough sleeping, we welcome the Mayor of London’s focus on preventing homelessness. The NSNO hubs funded by the Mayor and run by St Mungo’s have already made a huge difference in helping people off the streets; the reality is that without somewhere safe and warm to stay for the night, it’s not only life chances that are reduced, but life expectancy as well. This announcement however illustrates that more can be done to address the root causes of homelessness. “This investment in new hubs will help us be there for people before they end up sleeping rough. Shifting the dial to prevention brings us closer to our goal of ending homelessness for good, meaning fewer people relying on emergency accommodation in an already creaking housing system. “We look forward to continuing to work with the Mayor to turn the tide on homelessness and rough sleeping. Over the coming year, we know that that there is a lot we can achieve together.” The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m committed to putting London on a pathway to ending rough sleeping for good by 2030, which is why today I’m delivering an additional £10m in funding – the biggest ever single investment – to help more Londoners build their lives away from the streets. “Tackling the capital’s rough sleeping crisis won’t be easy, but I’m confident it can be done with strong leadership and a clear vision for how to get there, backed by the Government and wider society. “My Plan of Action on rough sleeping, due to be published this spring, will build on the huge amount of work we’ve done over the years to tackle this vital issue. As well as taking more people of the streets now, a stronger focus on prevention will help us to end rough sleeping as we continue to build a better, fairer London for everyone.” The Mayor of Lewisham, Brenda Dacres, added: “Spaces like the No Second Night Out hub are absolutely vital in our efforts to end homelessness. “This new funding from the Mayor of London will help to expand services to support people facing homelessness here in Lewisham and across London. “We are facing a housing and homelessness crisis; boroughs can’t tackle this alone, and we welcome this funding to support councils and charities to help people when they need it most.” Today’s announcement comes ahead of the Mayor’s Rough Sleeping Plan of Action, due to be published in the spring and supported by St Mungo’s, which will establish a shared mission for ending rough sleeping – including the scale of funding required and the best mechanisms for achieving this ambition by 2030. ___ Notes: [1] In the period April-June 2024 outreach teams recorded 1931 people in London sleeping rough for the first time. Of these: 1419 (73 per cent) spent just one night sleeping rough 440 (23 per cent) slept rough for more than one night but did not go on to live on the streets 72 (4 per cent) were deemed to be living on the streets. The number of new rough sleepers recorded during this period was 20 per cent higher than the same period last year. The full quarterly CHAIN rough sleeping report for 2023/24 is available here: https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/chain-reports [2] This new £10 million package of GLA funding represents the biggest ever single investment by a Mayor of London in funding for rough sleeping. Whilst there have been historical increases in funding by the Mayor, these have not been at this level. There have been other increases, but these have primarily been funded or jointly funded by Government, or extensions of existing contracts, rather than new GLA single funding investments. [3] The London Plan divides Greater London into five ‘sub-regions’. These are North, East, South, West and Central London.
St Mungo’s welcomes Minister of State for Social Security and Disability to Camden Homelessness Service
Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms, the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, visited a St Mungo’s service last week in Camden to see how people affected by homelessness are being supported into work through skills activities, training and support with gaining employment. The minister observed a construction skills workshop held at the service to help clients build confidence and prepare for employment. He also spoke with members of St Mungo’s staff about the complex issues preventing many people from working. This included the cliff-edge in financial support that many people living in supported accommodation face once they start working more hours because of the impact to their benefits. The visit comes as rough sleeping in the capital remains consistently high, with Camden recording the second highest rate of any London borough. Last summer, 298 people were sleeping rough in the area – up by 7% from the same period the previous year. St Mungo’s is on the frontline of the homelessness emergency, helping to end homelessness and rebuild lives. St Mungo’s work ranges from street outreach to emergency and long-term accommodation. They also deliver a range of services to help people more away from homelessness, including skills training, such as digital training, gardening and construction skills. Speaking at the visit, the Minister said: “I was impressed by St Mungo’s excellent work to help people affected by homelessness to overcome barriers to get into work. “As we get on with the job to end homelessness once and for all, our Get Britain Working plan will drive up employment and drive down poverty in every corner of our country.” During his visit, the minister met with clients including Muhith, aged 46, who has just started attending the construction skills course. Muhith said: “After two days on this course, I am more optimistic about my future than I’ve been in a long time. I want to be able to work and earn money, so I can pay my rent. That means I won’t have to be homeless again. I’ve already gained so much confidence, and for that I will always be thankful to St Mungo’s. It’s such a valuable service.” The Minister also met St Mungo’s Executive Director of Strategy and Transformation, Sean Palmer, during a tour of the centre, which supports single people experiencing homelessness to rebuild their lives through activities, training and employment programmes. Sean commented: “On behalf of St Mungo’s, I would like to thank The Minister for visiting our Camden service and meeting with some of our clients. We are grateful to the Minister to have the opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges faced by many people entering work after homelessness and our work to support them. We know that people are more likely to move away from homelessness if they are supported to do so from somewhere safe to stay. Within our supported accommodation, St. Mungo’s provides valuable skills training and work programmes to empower people into education and employment. In many cases work does not pay and 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 disincentivised and prevented from doing so. According to St Mungo’s client feedback survey*, 27% of its clients worry that working whilst living in homeless accommodation will cause problems with their benefits. We appreciate the Minister’s time and engagement with this issue and hope to continue to work with Government to resolve it, so more of our clients can access and benefit from employment without risking their accommodation.”
Government announces tripling of budget for rough sleeping
Following the November 2024 announcement of a £10million package for rough sleepers across the country this winter, today the Government have announced that this will be tripled More rough sleepers will be helped off the streets and provided warm beds this winter thanks to new emergency funding given to local councils today. The government has announced that The Rough Sleeping Winter Pressures Funding, is to increase the use of emergency accommodation for rough sleepers, and will be tripled from £10 million to £30 million. The cash will go directly into areas with record levels of rough sleeping, ultimately saving lives and supporting thousands of vulnerable people in society facing the cold weather. Those experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping are 8 to 12 times more likely to die prematurely, particularly from chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and those sleeping rough during winter are at even greater risk of ill health and long-term sickness. Over 280 councils, including all London boroughs, will now have extra resources at their disposal to support frontline workers providing vital services on the ground, which will see more people sleeping rough into safe and secure accommodation with warm beds, hot meals and medical treatment. The new funding will also continue supporting specialist programmes for vulnerable groups sleeping rough including veterans, care leavers and victims of domestic abuse. This is alongside giving lifechanging support to people who have slept rough long-term, with critical outreach staff helping to address substance abuse and provide employment opportunities. This comes as rough sleeping in the capital hit another record high this summer, with 4,780 people sleeping rough. Last year a devastating 155 people died rough sleeping on our streets. St Mungo’s is on the frontline of this homelessness emergency. The charity operates in parts of the UK facing the highest levels of homelessness. London is a hub for the UK and abroad and it sees some of the highest levels of people rough sleeping because of this. Sean Palmer, Executive Director at St Mungo’s, said: “We welcome the Government’s announcement that it will be tripling its investment in the Rough Sleeping Winter Pressures Funding from £10 million to £30 million, providing vital resource for councils to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This funding is much needed, the current levels of rough sleeping are shamefully high and continuing to rise. “St Mungo’s will continue to bring people in from the cold and provide a warm place to stay, while supporting them to find routes out of homelessness and supporting them to rebuild their lives. “Beyond responding to this winter’s rough sleeping emergency, we are pleased to be working with the Government on developing its new strategy to end homelessness for good. Crucially, a commitment to long-term, sustainable funding is needed to support the delivery of strategic and joined up services so rough sleeping can be prevented in the first place.”
St Mungo’s warns of extreme danger to life as snow and ice forecast across UK
As temperatures drop below zero across many parts of the UK, leading homelessness charity St Mungo’s is warning of the extreme danger that freezing weather presents to people experiencing homelessness who are sleeping rough on the streets. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow and ice across much of the UK, with the severe weather conditions expected to continue into next week. In response, many councils have now activated emergency measures to help as many people as possible who are sleeping rough to stay safe. Known as the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP), the response sees an increased number of outreach shifts and the provision of additional emergency accommodation, with the aim of getting as many people as possible out of the cold, and into safety. SWEP has been activated in a number of cities across the UK, including the following areas where St Mungo’s operates. Across London Bristol Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole Oxford Reading Oxford and Reading SWEP will be in place until at least Monday January 6th, and Bristol has called SWEP until Wednesday January 8th. London and Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole are reviewing SWEP on a daily basis. James Lally, St Mungo’s Services Director, said: “Access to a safe and warm place to live is vital for those experiencing homelessness all year round – and during freezing cold weather, emergency accommodation saves lives. With SWEP now activated in many parts of the country, including across London, St Mungo’s frontline teams are prepared to respond to this critical situation, and continue to work tirelessly around the clock to make sure that as many people as possible can be brought out of the cold and into safety. Anyone who is concerned about a person who is street homeless should contact StreetLink. And, as ever, if someone is in an emergency situation people should call 999.” As part of their emergency response, St Mungo’s Outreach Teams have increased the number of routine shifts being carried out across all activated cities.
St Mungo’s Director awarded MBE in New Year honours
Samantha Cowie, Head of Criminal Justice Services of St Mungo’s, has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list. Cowie has worked at St Mungo’s for 26 years, starting when she was only 17 years old. Cowie has experience working on the frontline; within services and always had an interest in the criminal Justice system. In 1999, Cowie took her first role in Pentonville Prison as a housing advisor. When she first took over as head of service 10 years ago, there were 14 staff based across 6 prisons. Today there are around 50 staff working across 10 prisons as well as responsibility for a subcontract arrangement where they deliver across 24 probation offices. Cowie said, “When I found out I couldn’t believe it; I cried. It’s an indescribable mix of pride, disbelief, excitement, and, honestly, a sense of unworthiness. “My thoughts immediately go to my incredible team at St Mungo’s Criminal Justice Services. “For me, this MBE is not really about me. I accept it on behalf of my team, colleagues, and partners in the wider criminal justice system, and of course, for my dad—without whom I wouldn’t have followed this career path.”
“You see the humanity in everyone” – International Volunteer Day 2024
Ahead of this year’s International Volunteer Day, we spoke with David Williams, who has been volunteering with St Mungo’s since 2023. Here is his story and what the experience has taught him. I found out about St Mungo’s when the company I was working with selected it as “Charity of the Year”. We were a small team of around 20-30 people, but we managed to raise over £5,000. I’d also personally run an Ultramarathon during COVID for mental health charity Charlie Waller after losing two close friends. I’ve always wanted to do charity work one or two days a week. I now usually do one or two shifts a month in central London, from around 8pm – 1am. Each outreach worker I’ve met has been so professional, and we have a list of people we’re looking to make contact with that night. I’m guided by the St Mungo’s outreach workers, and I really enjoy this volunteering as I get to connect with people. When you’re volunteering, you see the humanity in everyone. There are people you might see a few times and you recognise the same faces. For example, there was a guy we’d often see who could be quite aggressive, but after 10 minutes of talking, that humanity appears again and you see a different side of them. In some people we meet on the streets you see levels of paranoia in them and not trusting people around them. They can be hesitant to tell us information about themselves. It’s one of those things where you have to be persistent to build up that trust. I also see firsthand the difference the St Mungo’s team are making. Each outreach worker has different styles of working, but for all of them, the professionalism of the people here is genuinely life changing. They show courtesy and humanity to people they meet in huge amounts. Volunteering has also opened my eyes to what the extent of homelessness is really like, especially in London. I didn’t realise what was going on at night – both on the streets and indoors. It’s such a vibrant city, you even see people getting a haircut at midnight! It’s made me feel like I’m giving something back. At this stage in my life, you put so much into your family, career and everything and then you want to give back. I like interacting with people – it’s a nice thing to do. Hopefully, I’ll encourage other people to do some volunteering like this, and it’s good that my kids who are teenagers now get to hear about me doing this. Thank you David and thank you to all of our volunteers who selflessly volunteer to help us reach more people and offer them the support they need. Our volunteers come from various background and volunteer for us for different reasons but we are grateful to each and every one of them for offering us some of their precious time. Are you interested in volunteering with St Mungo’s? Check out our Current Opportunities page or get in touch at volunteer@mungos.org. No time to spare? You can still support our work by donating, or simply by referring people that you’ve seen sleeping rough to StreetLink, who will send an alert to our teams for those all important outreach shifts.
Hope for the sector through collaboration
Today our CEO Emma Haddad spoke at the Homeless Link Leadership Summit, under the theme of “Building Hope”. Her speech focused on new and collaborative ways of working with Government, and the issue of funding and where it could be used for the most impact. While the number of people experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping are on the rise, there are still reasons to be hopeful. Our frontline teams at St Mungo’s continue to rise to the challenge, with outreach teams supporting over 9,000 people sleeping rough in the last year, and our services working with over 23,000 people experiencing – or at risk of – homelessness. Additionally, we have seen a willingness in the Government to work with the sector to address key challenges, including the set up of an interministerial group for homelessness to ensure joined-up working, and an expert group to bring in voices from across the sector and inform policy changes. In addition, the Autumn Budget included £230m of funding for local authorities to fund homelessness services. With this optimism in mind, there is much more work to be done. St Mungo’s has outlined six key policy asks to the Government to address the current homelessness emergency through extending Rough Sleeping Initiative Funding, build preventative measures such as the Renters Reform bill and extensions to Home Office accommodation, support recovery through the welfare system and meeting healthcare needs, and look towards long-term solutions including affordable social housing. Speaking at the summit, Emma said: “I end the year hopeful, hoping and inspired by hope. Hopeful of the early signs of a new partnership with government. Hoping that as a sector we use this moment to strengthen collaboration and impact. And inspired by hope and admiration for the thousands of people who, in the face of adversity, find their way out of homelessness for good.” To read more about our asks to the Government, click here. To support our critical work on the frontline of the homelessness crisis, click here.
St Mungo’s responds to latest stats showing further increases in homelessness
New quarterly data on Statutory Homelessness in England was released today (28 November 2024) by MHCLG which covers the period April to June 2024. In total, 83,240 households were homeless (45,980) or at risk of homelessness (37,250) in England between April to June 2024. This is a 13.8% increase in the number of households assessed as homeless on the same period last year. The data also shows that during this period: End of private rented Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) was the most common reason for households being at risk of homelessness, accounting for 15,350 or 41.2% of households. Requirement to leave accommodation provided by the Home Office as asylum support as a reason for households assessed as homeless saw a 308.5% increase from the same period last year to 3,840 households. 123,100 households were in temporary accommodation on 30 June 2024, up 4.9% from the previous quarter and up 16.3% from the same time last year. Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, Emma Haddad, said: “Today’s latest statistics show the scale of homelessness across society and, by definition, the devastating impact it has on people’s lives. “St Mungo’s frontline teams are working to help as many people as possible day and night. Right now, our hostels are providing somewhere safe and warm to stay out of the cold, which poses very real dangers to people experiencing homelessness. With support, this can be the first step to finding a more settled place to live. “But the sheer number of people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness shows that we cannot only focus on a crisis response. We need a longer-term vision, funding and partnership working to prevent people facing homelessness in the first place. “Now is the time to respond so that everyone has a safe home and a chance to rebuild their life. You can help us end homelessness for good by supporting our winter appeal.”
St Mungo’s warns of dangers to rough sleepers as temperatures drop
Leading homelessness charity St Mungo’s is warning of the extreme dangers cold weather presents to people sleeping rough as freezing temperatures continue to sweep the country. As temperatures plummet many councils are activating their emergency response. This is designed to help people who are street homeless stay safe during extreme weather. Known as ‘Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP)’ the plans see increased outreach shifts and more accommodation made available, with the aim of ensuing nobody has to sleep on the streets during such extreme conditions. SWEP has been activated in the following areas where St Mungo’s operates: Across London Reading Bristol Oxford Bournemouth Currently London and Bournemouth SWEP will be reviewed on a daily basis. Oxford and Bristol have been called until Friday 22nd and Reading until Monday 25th November. St Mungo’s Outreach Teams have increased the number of routine shifts being carried out across the activated cities and will continue to ensure that everybody who is on the streets is offered a safe and warm space to stay indoors overnight. Hannah Faulkner, Head of Rough Sleeping Services at St Mungo’s said: “These low temperatures can kill people who are street homeless and it is absolutely right this is treated as an emergency. “As ever St Mungo’s teams are prepared to respond to this critical situation. We will continue to work tirelessly around the clock to ensure that people are brought into the safe and warm and prevent rough sleeping in freezing temperatures, which can also increase the risk of hypothermia. “During periods of cold and extreme weather it is essential that members of the public, people experiencing homelessness and other support services are all aware that additional accommodation and support is available. “Anyone who is concerned about a person who is street homeless should contact StreetLink. And, as ever, if someone is in an emergency situation people should call 999.” StreetLink operates 24 hours a day, 365 day a year with alerts being passed to local outreach teams who then use the information to find and support people sleeping rough. Find out more here – https://thestreetlink.org.uk/
