We know that homelessness can happen to anyone. When it does, we’re here to help people bounce back.
Whether someone’s been sleeping rough for one night or for years, we help people get back on their feet. Every year, we’re here for tens of thousands of people who need us, to end their homelessness and help them rebuild a life after it.
It can be easy to walk past someone experiencing homelessness. But what if you stopped and listened?
Every day, our frontline teams are out on the streets, helping people bounce back from homelessness.
For a limited time, bright orange Herephones — in our iconic St Mungo’s colour — have been installed on billboards across London. Stop at one to listen to powerful stories of resilience, recovery and new beginnings.
Missed out? Use the interactive map below to explore each location, listen to each story and discover how we’re here — on the streets, every day, helping people rebuild their lives.
Real places. Real people. Real stories.
Missed out? Use the dropdown below to explore each location, listen to each story and discover how we’re here — on the streets, every day, helping people rebuild their lives.
Real places. Real people. Real stories.
Andrew’s Story
Date: 2-3 July 2025
David’s Story
Date: 7-8 July 2025
Arwa’s Story
Date: 7-8 July 2025
Tracey’s Story
Date: 2-3 July 2025
David’s Story
Date: 30 June – 1 July
Watch Tracey’s story
Watch Andrew’s story
We’re here. On the streets. Every day. Every night. Rain or shine.
Helping people bounce back from homelessness. For good.
Do you need help? Please click here.
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Location: Holloway Road (N7 8DJ)
Date: 7-8 July 2025
I’ve been rough sleeping for 10 years.
My whole experience has been a bit like when you trip up, but then you try and save yourself – however, you know you’re going to fall.
It all started when I got flooded out of my parents’ house. It cost me a lot of money, so I had to live out of a van. I moved to London for better job opportunities.
In 2014, I got a job in Fenchurch Street, working there for four years – even though I was sleeping rough.
I found the job really invigorating. It also allowed me to earn money so I could buy everything I needed for film production – a life-long passion of mine.
When I was sleeping rough, the temperatures were so cold. Other homeless people would give me their clothes as I used to wake up shivering. To help keep warm, I’d get a late-night coffee from the local cafes with friends who were also rough sleeping. But the opening times have been cut back now, so you can’t get a drink by bedtime to help warm you up for the night.
One night, I got attacked by somebody whilst I was rough sleeping; they tried to gouge my eyes out. I felt terrified and realised I needed to find somewhere new to stay.
Then lockdown happened. I couldn’t find food at this point, and the centres where I could chat to people had all closed – it became very lonely.
I came into contact with St Mungo’s during my early years out on the streets, working closely with their London team to try and resolve my long-term homelessness.
They’ve provided counselling and moral support as well as food vouchers. They’ve also helped negotiate on my behalf around debt repayment, which gives me more time to concentrate on my studies.
As I’m over 60 years old, I am not eligible for the full student loan and it’s difficult to get housing benefit when you’re a student.
But St Mungo’s continues to support me.
I think sadly, there’s a dreadful stigma to being homeless. I know people who are homeless who can speak a second language, and that surprises people. Some people can’t believe that I had launched a film.
As for my hopes for the future, I’m looking at working in post-production – with the ultimate goal of working on a Hollywood script. Watch this space.
Support St Mungo’s. They are here for me when I need it.
Thank you for listening to my story.
Location: West Kensington Station (W14 9DB)
Date: 30 June – 1 July 2025
I’ve been rough sleeping for 10 years.
My whole experience has been a bit like when you trip up, but then you try and save yourself – however, you know you’re going to fall.
It all started when I got flooded out of my parents’ house. It cost me a lot of money, so I had to live out of a van. I moved to London for better job opportunities.
In 2014, I got a job in Fenchurch Street, working there for four years – even though I was sleeping rough.
I found the job really invigorating. It also allowed me to earn money so I could buy everything I needed for film production – a life-long passion of mine.
When I was sleeping rough, the temperatures were so cold. Other homeless people would give me their clothes as I used to wake up shivering. To help keep warm, I’d get a late-night coffee from the local cafes with friends who were also rough sleeping. But the opening times have been cut back now, so you can’t get a drink by bedtime to help warm you up for the night.
One night, I got attacked by somebody whilst I was rough sleeping; they tried to gouge my eyes out. I felt terrified and realised I needed to find somewhere new to stay.
Then lockdown happened. I couldn’t find food at this point, and the centres where I could chat to people had all closed – it became very lonely.
I came into contact with St Mungo’s during my early years out on the streets, working closely with their London team to try and resolve my long-term homelessness.
They’ve provided counselling and moral support as well as food vouchers. They’ve also helped negotiate on my behalf around debt repayment, which gives me more time to concentrate on my studies.
As I’m over 60 years old, I am not eligible for the full student loan and it’s difficult to get housing benefit when you’re a student.
But St Mungo’s continues to support me.
I think sadly, there’s a dreadful stigma to being homeless. I know people who are homeless who can speak a second language, and that surprises people. Some people can’t believe that I had launched a film.
As for my hopes for the future, I’m looking at working in post-production – with the ultimate goal of working on a Hollywood script. Watch this space.
Support St Mungo’s. They are here for me when I need it.
Thank you for listening to my story.
Location: Westminster Bridge Road (SE1 7EL)
Date: 2-3 July 2025
I was on and off the streets since 1997.
It started when my mum and dad asked me to leave. Ever since then, I’ve been learning things and doing things on my own.
I was sleeping rough in West London on and off for years. When I wasn’t on the streets, I’d be at friends’ houses sleeping on their sofas, but I wanted and needed my own place.
During the winter, sleeping rough is hard and when the weather isn’t on your side, so cold. You have no choice but to take it day by day. It’s a dark and lonely place – I was getting robbed left, right and center, beaten up and taken the mickey out of. I was fed up and didn’t want to go through living on the street no more.
It leaves you with very little hope.
But then came a small glimmer…
One day in 2017, I was sat in the council office, and they referred me to the Homeless Persons Unit who introduced me to St Mungo’s.
From that moment, life started to change, and with St Mungo’s continued support I’ve been able to rebuild a better life for myself.
I moved into St Mungo’s accommodation. They helped me with access to drug recovery services and introduced me to a counsellor. They even helped me to pay for my passport, so I had ID to open a bank account.
I’m currently in St Mungo’s supported housing now, and look forward to moving into my own home, which my support worker is helping me with. I’ll be able to take my hamster Tinkerbell with me!
I have a daughter and a young granddaughter, so having my own place will mean they can easily visit me. This means so much.
I’ve come a long way compared to where I was 3 years ago…
I now see my daughter and granddaughter, I talk to a counsellor every Friday and I’m also building new skills.
I’ve taken part in the St Mungo’s digital inclusion workshop. When I was first told about it, I thought I’d give it a go – why not? I learnt different things, some of which helped me to develop independent living skills.
And my confidence has grown.
Nothing beats the feeling of having security and feeling safe, to come and go as I please, and not be out there in the cold.
As I look to the future, with hope, I’d like to give back. Helping someone who like me, has spent far too long without a home.
Or, work with animals.
Support St Mungo’s. They were there for me when I needed it most.
Thank you for listening to my story.
Location: Ministry of Sound (SE1 6DB)
Date: 2-3 July 2025
A few years back I had a flat in Hammersmith and things went pear shaped – I let people in who I shouldn’t have, and I ended my tenancy. I was just as unlucky with my next home, the whole building got closed down. I didn’t have anywhere to go, so I visited a housing service who told me about St Mungo’s and the accommodation they provide to people like me without a home.
I’ve been here for three years now. And I’m in no rush to move on, it’s peaceful here.
My friend sometimes visits me and says coming here feels like a break for her – which I think says a lot about what it’s like to live in St Mungo’s accommodation.
Alongside providing a roof over my head, St Mungo’s has helped me with various health appointments, like accessing a dentist or a nurse, and offer extra support by joining me on the health appointments when I feel I need it.
There’s also lots of activities on offer here which keeps me busy and entertained, like creative writing where I’ve discovered a passion for poetry. I knew I always enjoyed writing but never really did it for long. But here, I have the time and space to write. I’ve found that writing helps me to express how I’m feeling. My mind can feel like a pressure cooker, building things up. But when I write a poem, the pressure is released, like I’m letting off steam – in a nice way.
Some of my poems have even been published in the St Mungo’s magazine.
St Mungo’s are also kindly paying for me to take part in a pottery course. I tried it in school many years ago. It’s good to just have a go and try these things, isn’t it?
Living here as made me feel secure again. I’ve had some bad experiences in the past and St Mungo’s has encouraged me to not give up. My wonderful key worker has also helped me let my guard down too.
I’ll never forget the support I’ve received.
Looking to the future, we’ve talked about me moving on, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little afraid of trying again on my own, for it then not to work. I don’t think I could cope with that again.
But, I know that that if I was given the opportunity to live somewhere where I felt as secure as I do here, there’s support nearby if I need it, and stayed in touch with St Mungo’s and the many friends I’ve made here…I’ll be rebuilding an even better life for myself.
Support St Mungo’s. They were there for me when I needed it most.
Thank you for listening to my story.
Location: 99 Whitechapel High Street (E1 7PH)
Date: 7-8 July 2025
I arrived in London in 2018 seeking asylum after escaping war-torn Syria – leaving behind my widowed mother, siblings and dog Jacko.
Following almost a year in the limbo of asylum, I received refugee status and, despite Covid putting things on hold again, managed to build a life in London. A life which included being reunited with Jacko my golden retriever after a British charity kindly flew him to the UK.
And yet, in a few short weeks in the autumn of 2022, after my landlord sold my rented flat, I lost a home once again. I couldn’t find anywhere to live with a dog at such short notice and, thanks to the stress of it all, I lost my waitressing job too.
Jacko and I found ourselves on the streets of London.
Being homeless was the worst thing that’s ever happened to me – even worse than the war. While the police were very helpful, I endured some horrifying experiences, including waking up with a drunk man prodding my legs. Jacko saw him off. I had money for a few nights in a hotel, but they didn’t want me. I looked homeless. I couldn’t shower.
Together Jacko and I slept on the streets for several nights before I was given a room at the St Mungo’s hostel in Lewisham where Jacko and I were supported by the St Mungo’s team.
With their help and a roof over my head, I started to feel safe again.
Several weeks after arriving at the hostel, while I was sitting in the garden, in walked Jonathan, who had arrived that afternoon after nine weeks on the streets.
For both of us, ending up at the shelter was a shock. Like me, Jonathan had grown up in a stable family. But after a combination of Covid impacting his job and the death of his father, Jonathan had also found himself needing the support of St Mungo’s.
Through our shared trauma, a friendship blossomed that would ultimately save us both. We’d both been so depressed and miserable – but through meeting each other and our growing friendship, we both started to shine again. We were falling in love!
When Jonathan plucked up the courage to ask me on a date, I just felt it was really special.
A week after we started going out, I asked him to make a commitment – to go to the mosque and get our relationship blessed. So, we did.
Soon afterwards Jonathan got a job managing a storage company and we left St Mungo’s to move into a one-bedroom flat in Shepherd’s Bush.
My experience has made me look at homeless people in a completely different way. Anyone can be homeless if they’re unlucky. People just need someone to love and look after them. St Mungo’s looked after me when I needed it most.
We now have a beautiful son, and the three of us, with Jacko, are enjoying family life. As I look to the future, Jonathan and I are making plans to marry. And I hope to meet with my mother and sisters soon, if not in Syria, then in a neighbouring country.
Support St Mungo’s. They were there for me when I needed it most.
Thank you for listening to my story.
Appeals Policy
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