St Mungo’s care home celebrates £200,000 refurbishment
Local councillors and partners joined St Mungo’s this week to celebrate the completion of a major refurbishment of its Islington care home by volunteers from the delivery consultants and construction experts, Mace. The service in Islington is one of two CQC-registered care homes run by St Mungo’s. It offers a unique level of support for older men with complex needs who have experienced homelessness. Residents are provided with long-term accommodation and support for their mental and physical health conditions including dementia, as well as substance use support. The Mayor of Islington, Councillor Jason Jackson, attended the re-opening ceremony alongside Deputy Mayor of Camden, Councillor Tricia Leman, representatives from Mace, St Mungo’s staff and residents of the 29-bed care home. The project included a full re-design and re-furnishing of the care home’s communal spaces, with 46 Mace volunteers completing the work across six weeks while the service continued to support residents. Emma Haddad, Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, said: “On behalf of my colleagues and the residents here in Islington, I want to say a huge thank you to Mace and The Mace Foundation for making this incredible refurbishment of our care home possible. This is not just a beautiful building but a home for our residents. Mace’s generous refurbishment has helped make it even more comfortable and welcoming for them. St Mungo’s supports people affected by homelessness at every stage of their journey, from the crisis point of rough sleeping right through to finding long-term accommodation. Our care home is just one example of the many compassionate ways we help people leave the cycle of homelessness behind for good. As this refurbishment shows, we can achieve amazing things when we work together. I look forward to collaborating with our partners in the future to continue improving the lives of people affected by homelessness.” His Worship The Mayor of Islington, Councillor Jason Jackson said: “It’s been an honour to visit St Mungo’s care home and see first-hand the incredible work they do to support some of Islington’s most vulnerable residents. Homelessness is an urgent issue in our community, and services like this provide a place of safety, dignity and healing. It’s fantastic to see the compassion, commitment and collaboration of St Mungo’s, Mace and everyone involved in this refurbishment. Together, we are showing what it means to build a borough – and a society – that truly cares for everyone.” Mark Holmes CBE, Chief Executive of The Mace Foundation, said: “It’s inspiring to see how the dedication of Mace employees and our supply chain partners has positively impacted St Mungo’s care home. The redesigned layout of several communal rooms in this listed building was thoughtfully planned and delivered in line with PIE (Psychologically Informed Environment) principles. These changes have helped create a more homely and welcoming atmosphere for long-term residents, including those living with mental health challenges or dementia. Mace and the Mace Foundation are committed to making a meaningful difference in the communities we serve. We understand the value of pro bono work for charities and, with the generous support of our supply chain, have delivered over £300,000 worth of projects for St Mungo’s.” In 2023, Mace Foundation and two of Mace’s architects visited the care home to begin designing a new psychologically-informed, dementia-friendly space. Their redesign included all communal areas including the library, arts and crafts room, dining and living spaces, entrance, and staff office. Residents contributed to the design, choosing wall colours and furniture. The works began at the end of 2024 and were completed in January 2025, with 46 Mace employees providing 523 hours of voluntary work. Mace contractors also provided £30,000 worth of materials. The refurbishment comes as homelessness remains consistently high in the UK. Last autumn, 83,800 households faced homelessness across England.
St Mungo’s reaction to the Spending Review
Earlier in the year, St Mungo’s made submissions to the Government around what should be included in today’s Comprehensive Spending Review, which maps out budget allocations for governmental departments. At a time of rising homelessness rates and many people being closer to homelessness than they might think, a core submission from St Mungo’s was the need for a long-term funding settlement – not only to allow its services to continue to be there for people without a home and rebuild their lives, but also provide that support before a crisis point is reached. The organisation also made the case for more social housing. Emma Haddad, CEO for St Mungo’s, responds to the announcement: “The allocation of £39 billion for social housing is a significant step in addressing one of the root causes of homelessness. Too many people have been placed in cramped and unsafe temporary accommodation because they have been locked out from an increasingly unaffordable private rented sector. We know that social housing is safe, long-term and provides significantly more stability than the private rented sector, so this investment will be welcome news to many of our clients. “We also welcome the confirmation of £1bn funding for homelessness services – this is much needed and the certainty of multi-year funding is key to helping us move to a more secure and strategic use of funds. We need the Government to ensure these funds are allocated quickly to ensure continuity of vital services. And the £100 million for early intervention is both welcome and vital to help start to shift the system from managing a crisis to preventing the tragedy of homelessness. “Today’s funding announcements should help us start to turn the tide on the massive increases in homelessness we’ve seen in recent years. We now need the much-awaited homelessness strategy to crystallise the Government’s ambition and ensure everyone working to end homelessness is pulling in the same direction. We look forward to working with Government to build on today’s helpful steps so we can end homelessness for good.”
St Mungo’s responds to the decriminalisation of rough sleeping
St Mungo’s welcomes the Government’s decision to repeal the outdated Vagrancy Act 1824 by Spring next year, to ensure rough sleeping is no longer a criminal offence. Emma Haddad, Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, said: “The repeal of the Vagrancy Act, which criminalises rough sleeping, cannot come soon enough. Right now, we are supporting thousands of people who are rough sleeping; everyone facing this issue has their own heart breaking story to tell of how they ended up on the streets – from complex mental and physical health issues to an increasingly unaffordable housing market. The answer is not to criminalise people for living on the streets but instead to focus on tackling the health, housing and wider societal issues that are causing homelessness in the first place.” The Vagrancy Act was introduced in 1824 – towards the end of the Georgian era – to deal with rising homelessness which increased after the Napoleonic Wars and Industrial Revolution. While use of the Act against rough sleeping has significantly declined over the years, it remains enforceable in law. Government amendments to the Home Office’s Crime and Policing Bill will instead focus on crimes associated with begging and trespassing and not rough sleeping, with no replacement of previous legislation that criminalised people for simply sleeping rough. New targeted measures will ensure police have the powers they need to keep communities safe – filling the gap left over by removing previous powers. This will include a new offence of facilitating begging for gain and an offence of trespassing with the intention of committing a crime, both of which were previously included under the 1824 Act. The Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “We are drawing a line under nearly two centuries of injustice towards some of the most vulnerable in society, who deserve dignity and support. No one should ever be criminalised simply for sleeping rough and by scrapping this cruel and outdated law, we are making sure that can never happen again.” The Minister for Homelessness Rushanara Ali said: “Today marks a historic shift in how we’re responding to the rough sleeping crisis, by repealing an archaic Act that is neither just nor fit for purpose. Scrapping the Vagrancy Act for good is another step forward in our mission to tackle homelessness in all its forms, by focusing our efforts on its root causes.”
Cutting PIP and UC will increase homelessness, charities warn Liz Kendall
St Mungo’s has issued an open letter on behalf of the homelessness sector urging Government to rethink welfare reforms. Planned welfare cuts designed to get people back into work will actually increase homelessness, according to an open letter issued to Government today from the homelessness sector. St Mungo’s is the lead signatory of the letter, along with 13 other homelessness organisations including YMCA and Homeless Link. They warn that cutting vital benefits will push more people into poverty and destitution, and make it harder for those already affected by homelessness to rebuild their lives. Measures set out in the Government’s ‘Pathways to Work’ Green Paper will be voted on in Parliament next week and will include limiting access to and reducing health-related benefits such as PIP and Universal Credit. In the open letter, the signatories state that these benefits are vital to people dealing with the extra costs of health conditions, with many of the people they support relying on them to help fund counselling, cover travel expenses to medical appointments, and even pay for essentials such as food, rent and utilities. The signatories claim without this extra financial support people affected by homelessness will struggle to cover their expenses, which risks their recovery and a potential slide back into homelessness. According to government data some 62,040 households with physical ill health and disability needs faced homelessness in 2023/24, compared with 35,860 in 2018/19. Between October to December 2024, just over a fifth (21%) of households facing homelessness had some sort of physical ill health or disability. Emma Haddad, Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, said: “For the thousands of people affected by homelessness, these planned welfare reforms run counter to the Government’s ambition to give people the support they need to get back to work. Instead, we conclude that the proposed changes will increase the number of people at risk of becoming homeless for the first time, increase the number of people we have helped resolve their homelessness fall back into it, and increase the length of time it takes to resolve people’s homelessness in the future. Many people rely on these benefits to manage complex health conditions as part of their recovery from homelessness and pay for essential utilities. With already eyewatering rents, these benefits help people cover their additional costs. Without them, we fear people will be increasingly unable to afford to secure somewhere safe to live. Homelessness has already pushed these people to the edge. We should be supporting them to rebuild their lives, not creating more challenges for them to overcome. That’s why, with other organisations in the sector, we are asking the Government to rethink these reforms, so that we can prevent more people becoming homeless and those affected by homelessness can quickly and permanently recover from it. That is how the Government can really achieve its ambition of helping more people into work.” For a full copy of the letter, see here. The full list of signatories includes: Emma Haddad, Chief Executive, St Mungo’s Jo Carter, Chief Executive, Glassdoor Homeless Charity Denise Hatton, Chief Executive, YMCA England & Wales Phil Kerry, Chief Executive, New Horizon Youth Centre Ben Twomey, Chief Executive, Generation Rent Jean Templeton, Chief Executive, St Basils Michael Chandler, Chief Executive, Groundswell Rick Henderson, Chief Executive, Homeless Link Denis Tully, Chief Executive, Emmanuel House Matthew Downie, Chief Executive, Crisis Stephen Bell OBE, Chief Executive, Changing Lives Bill Tidham, Chief Executive, Thames Reach Mairi MacRae, Director of Campaigns, Policy and Comms, Shelter Alex Bax, Chief Executive Officer, Pathway
St Mungo’s supports Mayor of London’s commitment to end rough sleeping through prevention by 2030
Today, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced a new plan to end rough sleeping in the capital by 2030, with a vital focus on prevention and increasing the availability of rapid, sustainable routes away from the streets. In his bold new approach, the Mayor has promised to work with partners including St Mungo’s to end the current requirement for Londoners to be seen bedded down on the streets before they can access support by 2028. He has also secured £17million from Government to refurbish up to 500 new empty homes as part of his Homes Off The Streets programme, which will help hundreds of people at imminent risk of rough sleeping. Working with St Mungo’s, the Mayor also committed to opening a new Ending Homelessness Hub to prevent more Londoners from sleeping rough. His announcement comes as rough sleeping rates continue to rise in the capital. Between January to March 2025, a total of 4,427 people were recorded as rough sleeping in London – an increase of 8% on the same period last year. Emma Haddad, Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, said: “With rough sleeping still at record highs, and more Londoners teetering on the brink of homelessness, St Mungo’s welcomes the Mayor of London’s commitment to ending rough sleeping through prevention by 2030. Rough sleeping is a crisis and should not be a prerequisite for help. For too long, people facing homelessness have had to endure the trauma of sleeping on the streets before they can access life-saving support. Many of our clients face long-term mental and physical health needs, which can increase the risk of homelessness and make it that much harder for people to get the support they need. We’re also seeing more people locked out of an increasingly unaffordable private rental sector, exacerbated by poor supply of housing and intense demand for it. We welcome the Mayor’s ambition to end the verification-based model for accessing help and his investment in Ending Homelessness Hubs, which will ensure St Mungo’s can be there for people before they reach these crisis points. We are proud to be playing such a central role in their delivery, which will help to reduce pressure on the frontline response. We congratulate the Mayor and his team for working collaboratively to bring about this Action Plan that we hope will deliver tangible change to ending rough sleeping in London. We know this can only be achieved nationally and long term with a whole system approach and look to the Government to show the same commitment and efficiency when delivering and implementing their homelessness strategy.“ The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “During my election campaign, I promised to develop a plan to end rough sleeping for good by 2030. I’m proud to be delivering on that promise. We know the best way to end rough sleeping is to stop it before it starts. That’s why we’re putting prevention at the heart of our response, extending our network of Ending Homelessness Hubs, that provide 24/7 support to those most at risk of sleeping rough. It’s why we’re launching a preventing homelessness phoneline. And it’s why we’re funding more support workers in our communities – in places like day centres and food banks. We’re also providing people with long-term routes off the streets, through our Homes off the Streets programme. For the first time, we’re unlocking 500 empty homes, in need of refurbishment, that will be brought back into good condition and ringfenced for those that need them most. This plan is being backed up by £17 million in additional funding, which is on top of the £10 million we announced in January this year, which was the single biggest Mayoral investment into tackling rough sleeping ever. The last time we came close to ending rough sleeping, we had a Mayor and a Government on the same page, with the same ambition. Now, we have the opportunity to do the same again.”
St Mungo’s responds to latest data showing 38% jump in people living on London’s streets
New data released today (30 April 2025) by the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) which covers January to March 2025 has shown an increase in rough sleeping. In total, 4427 people were recorded as rough sleeping in London between January to March 2025. This is an increase of 8% on the same period last year. The data also shows that during this period: 2085 people were rough sleeping for the first time, a 2% increase on the same figure this time last year. 1714 people were intermittently rough sleeping, 5% higher than the same period last year 706 people deemed to be living on the streets, 38% higher than the same figure this time last year. 1673 had a mental health support need, 50% of the total number of people rough sleeping Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, Emma Haddad, said: “We should all be very concerned that 706 people were deemed to be living on London’s streets in winter 2025 – a jump of 38% compared to the same period last year. This is truly shocking and symptomatic not only of the housing crisis but also a rising public health emergency. People affected by a job loss or relationship breakdown are increasingly being driven onto the streets, without sanitation, security and support. Many stretched services are seeing a revolving door of people with health needs either caused or exacerbated by homelessness: anxiety, depression, substance use, and frailty are just some of the conditions we’re seeing with greater prevalence and severity compared to the general population. The longer these needs go unaddressed, the harder it becomes for people to move on from homelessness. Our frontline teams are working round the clock to get people into emergency housing and then supporting them to survive and thrive in their own accommodation. Affordable housing is just one part of a much broader solution; we also need to see a homelessness and healthcare system working in tandem, so that more people are empowered to leave homelessness behind them and fewer people fall back into it. We anticipate the launch of an ambitious homelessness strategy from the government and hope that will help us address these dual emergencies and end homelessness for good.”
St Mungo’s responds to the latest Rough Sleeping Snapshot
New statistics released from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government show that 4,667 people slept on the streets in England on a snapshot night in autumn 2024, an increase of 769 people (20%) from the autumn 2023 total of 3,898. The data also shows that: Nearly half (45%) of all people sleeping rough on a single night in autumn are in London and the South East, which is similar to previous years. The largest regional increase was in London, rising from 1,132 in 2023 to 1,318 in 2024 – an increase of 186 people or 16%. The only region with a decrease was the North West of England – a decrease of 2 people. In addition, new quarterly data on Statutory Homelessness in England was released today (27 February 2025) by MHCLG which covers the period July to September 2024. In total, 44,920 households were assessed homeless, up 1.5% from the same quarter last year, and 36,450 households were assessed as at risk of homelessness, which is down 1.3% from the same quarter last year. Emma Haddad, Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, said: “With 4,667 people rough sleeping on a single night in England last autumn – a 20% increase since 2023 – this latest rise in figures shows homelessness is closer to home than we think. St Mungo’s frontline teams see the real impact of this ongoing crisis everyday with more and more people being pushed onto the streets and needing our help. We can see statutory services struggling and buckling under the pressures these numbers create. We know the longer it takes to provide people with the support they need, the more complex their support needs become; early intervention is vital to break this heartbreaking cycle. Emergency funding continues to be essential to tackle this homelessness crisis, but longer-term funding for preventive programmes alongside improved housing affordability and supply are also needed to fix the root causes and move away from crisis response. Putting prevention at the forefront of the Government’s homelessness strategy will be key, and we will continue working with government and all partners to end homelessness for good.”
Emergency homelessness fund boosted to £60 million
Following the January 2025 announcement of a £30million package for people experiencing homelessness across the country this winter, the Government have announced that this will be doubled to £60 million. The additional funding will be given to councils in 295 targeted areas to provide life-changing support for people on the brink of homelessness. It will support councils with early intervention to keep families in their homes, while also providing accommodation for people sleeping rough. In the last year, 146,360 households reached out for council support, many of whom were facing eviction through no fault of their own. Some had experienced sudden health issues, or a loss of employment. Others had faced unexpected bills or a relationship breakdown. The Winter Pressures Funding for homelessness and rough sleeping now sits at £60 million for the year. The addition of £30 million will help councils to negotiate quickly and effectively with landlords. It will help to cover emergency rent shortfalls, and ensure that people are kept in safe, secure housing. This comes as rough sleeping in the capital increased yet again last autumn, with 4612 people recorded as rough sleeping in London between October to December 2024. This is an increase of 5% on the same period last year. 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, including London. Sean Palmer, Executive Director at St Mungo’s, said: “The Government’s announcement of an extra £30 million in funding is welcome news at a time when the numbers of people experiencing homelessness, and at risk of it, is continuing to rise. This funding will help ensure the growing number of people who find themselves on the streets can be offered the vital support they need and others can be supported to prevent them from losing their homes in the first place. Given the current crisis, this funding is both much needed and a step in the right direction towards prevention. The upcoming homelessness strategy will be a key moment for the Government to set out how we can work together to end rough sleeping, and all forms of homelessness, for good. St Mungo’s looks forward to working with them on it.”
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.
