Secretary of State visits St Mungo’s teams working to tackle homelessness

The Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, met with St Mungo’s clients and staff on Friday 8 June at our No Second Night Out (NSNO) assessment hub and its Hope Gardens hostel in West London.

The Secretary of State was shown around the hub and heard how staff support people who would otherwise be sleeping rough. The team works quickly to assess people’s options and find a safe route away from sleeping on the streets.

The group also visited Hope Gardens, a psychologically informed hostel built in 2014, where 27 people live while St Mungo’s supports them to access health, treatment, mental health or employment services. The Secretary of State also heard about some of St Mungo’s Housing First services and how this innovative approach to housing rough sleepers is helping people with the most complex needs.

Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said: “During my visit to St Mungo’s I met some really inspiring people, whose lives are being turned around by the vital support provided by their committed staff.

“Tackling homelessness is complex, but no one should ever have to sleep rough.

“That’s why we are  all committed to working together to help eliminate rough sleeping for good.”

Dean, who currently lives at Hope Gardens, spoke to the Secretary of State about his experience of sleeping rough during the cold weather this winter. Dean said: “The outreach team found me in the churchyard where I was sleeping and took me to Hope Gardens so I could escape the freezing cold. Then I got my own room and the team has been brilliant at helping me to get stuck in with some IT training and other bits to get my life back on track. It was great to talk to a government minister about all this and hear about plans to end rough sleeping.”