Help St Mungo's to end rough sleeping by 2026

Thank you for your continued support of St Mungo's. With your help, we are furthering our ambition to end homelessness, for good. We are pleased to share an update about St Mungo's latest achievements and how we will be supporting people experiencing homelessness this summer.

In the past quarter, across all our client facing services:

• St Mungo’s provided support and accommodation to 2,775 people on average each night;
• Our 13 Outreach services worked with 2,969 individuals who were rough sleeping, supporting them in the first step towards recovery from homelessness;
• We worked with 3,981 individuals across our housing related support services;
• We worked with 12,357 individuals in total and ran 144 services across London, the South East and the South West.

St Mungo’s Chief Executive Emma Haddad said: 

“Our teams work 24/7 to help as many people as we can out of homelessness, and will continue to do so. What we need is more action to stop people from becoming homeless in the first place.” 

These achievements would not have been possible without your support, thank you.
 

Mental Health Awareness Week

In line with Mental Health Awareness Week, from 15 to 21 May, we highlighted how St Mungo’s support client mental health. We focus on enabling our clients to access existing mental health services, as well as promoting a model of psychotherapy that is effective for people experiencing homelessness. We also operate peer support groups, which encourage clients to use their skills to help others with their resilience, confidence and mental health. 

As a previous St Mungo’s client,Gerry knows first-hand how important St Mungo’s services are in supporting someone’s immediate wellbeing, as well as their long-term future and recovery from homelessness: 

“For the first time in my life, I was able to talk about the abuse I suffered as a child. I’d never spoken about my emotions before; the fear, the anger, the pain, the rage, the frustration. I got it all out. I had 14 months of healing and I can honestly say that it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.” 

LGBTQIA+ and Homelessness 

At St Mungo’s, there are many reasons why promoting equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamentally important for us. The people we support are more likely to experience disadvantage and discrimination, including those who identify as LGBTQIA+.  Almost one in five LGBTQIA+ people (18%) have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. This rises to 25% if the person is trans. 

To celebrate Pride Month this June, we wanted to celebrate how we support LGBTQIA+ individuals and staff. We make sure our services are informed about LGBTQIA+ issues and are welcoming to everyone regardless of sexual or gender identity. When referring people to our different kinds of accommodation, we assess whether that environment is right for them, including any support needs they might have, and what will make them feel safe and at home.  

In addition to this, we are proud to be recognised by Stonewall UK, as St Mungo’s is 24th on their 100 Top Employers List. 

Latest rough sleeping statistics  

New data released in April by the Combined Homelessness and Informatino Network (CHAIN), highlights how the cost-of-living crisis has contributed to a 14% increase in people sleeping rough in London on the same period last year, a figure which is expected to rise if not addressed immediately. Of these people: 

• 1,490 were sleeping rough for the first time, 15% higher than the same period last year; 
• 376 people were considered to be living on the streets, which is up from 363 from the same period the year before; 
• 1,270 people were seen intermittently sleeping rough, which is 17% higher than the same period last year. 

Take the Lead 

Our Take the Lead challenge is back this summer! As one of the only homelessness charities to accept pets in our hostels, we’re inviting you to team up with colleagues and a furry friend to walk a marathon, or an ultra-marathon, throughout August, to raise money for St Mungo’s. 

Sign up today to help people like David, who after nearly 20 years of sleeping rough is now living a fulfilling life with his pet dog, Star:  

“I sometimes get anxiety and depression, and if I'm feeling a bit low,Star picks up on it. She’ll jump up and give me a cuddle. And that helps me because I know that I've got to take responsibility, that she needs a walk. I’d definitely recommend St Mungo’s to other people.”  

Help us save two lives this summer and get closer to our goal of ending homelessness. Sign up with a team of colleagues today! 

Kerry Godliman & ITV visiting Putting Down Roots

The actor, Kerry Godliman, recently got her hands dirty when she visited our Putting Down Roots garden in Cedar’s Road, Clapham along with an ITV London crew. 

Putting Down Roots is a horticultural therapy and training project, using gardening as a way of helping client’s in their recovery. The programme teaches clients the practical skills needed to grow and maintain a wide selection of plants, including flowers, fruit and vegetables.

Kerry, who is an avid gardener, met with our Horticulture Skills Manager, Matt Woodruff, who gave her a tour of the garden and talked about the aims of our Putting Down Roots project. Matt introduced her to some of the clients who are benefitting from the project including Lily, the ‘compost queen’, who harvested a great selection of fruit and vegetables for Kerry to take away as a memento of the day.

Kerry spoke to ITV about her love of gardening and how it has helped her wellbeing, whilst Lily explained how Putting Down Roots has helped her to find her focus. The filming was packaged into a news piece, and was featured on ITV News London, across both the 6pm and 10pm news.

Kerry is a loyal supporter of our work and helps to raise awareness of what we do. She has participated in our Take the Lead fundraising campaign, and last year she visited our award-winning Putting Down Roots garden at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Thank you! 

We hope you are proud of your hard work to help us achieve our ambition – that no one should ever have to sleep rough and that everyone should be able to realise their potential. St Mungo's vital services would not be possible without your continued support and generosity. Thank you for helping us to end homelessness and rebuild lives. 

Links:

• Top 100 Employers
• Combined Homelessness and Information Network statistics
• Take the Lead