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 winter. 

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

• St Mungo’s provided support and accommodation to 2,610 people on average each night; 
• Our 13 Outreach services worked with 2,523 individuals who were rough sleeping, supporting them in the first step towards recovery from homelessness; 
• We worked with 10,854 individuals in total and ran 1,023 projects across 141 services across London, the South East and the South West. 

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

Kerslake Commission 2023

The Kerslake Commission was convened to learn the lessons from the ‘Everyone In’ initiative which supported people who were sleeping rough during the pandemic, and which led to a 37% drop in rough sleeping. The landscape is now vastly different, with the 2022 official figures showing a 26% increase in rough sleeping and the more recent statutory homelessness figures showing the number of households who are homeless and living in temporary accommodation is the highest since records began.

This report recognises where progress has been made but fundamentally seeks to explain the key challenges driving this trend. The Commission advises what measures the current Government should take to reduce the numbers and what should be the priorities of the next administration in tackling homelessness and rough sleeping.

The Commission recommends three key principles that should guide the next administration’s approach to end homelessness and rough sleeping for good:

• Prevent people from getting to the brink of homelessness – We need to be preventing people from reaching crisis point and becoming homeless or at risk of homelessness
• No one should need to arrive on to the streets to get help – Where people are at risk of rough sleeping, there should be a cross sector effort to make timely and effective interventions that prevent an episode of rough sleeping
• Everyone should have a route out of rough sleeping – For anyone who is rough sleeping, there needs to be a meaningful and tailored offer which will take them away from the streets for good

Follow the link below to explore the report and to hear St Mungo’s CEO, Emma Haddad, share her views on the report.

Latest rough sleeping statistics

New data released in October by the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN), highlights how the cost-of-living crisis has contributed to a 12% 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: 

• 4068 were recorded as rough sleeping in the capital between Jul-Sep 2023;
• 2086 people were found to be rough sleeping for the first time, a 13% increase on the same figure this time last year;
• 481 people were deemed to be living on the streets, 17% higher than the immediately preceding period (Apr-Jun);
• 1561 people were found to be intermittently rough sleeping, 16% higher than the same period last year.

Emma Haddad, St Mungo’s Chief Executive, said: 

“As the UK homelessness crisis escalates, the latest rough sleeping data for London shows record numbers of people forced to sleep on the streets. Of particular concern is the large increase in non-UK nationals, who represented 52.6% of people sleeping rough in the capital during July to September. To alleviate homelessness and destitution for this vulnerable group, there must be sufficient funding and a clear directive from central Government to support people to resolve their homelessness through the provision of accommodation, independent immigration advice, and support to engage in the advice.” 

Last Night on the Streets – St Mungo’s Winter Campaign

The number of people sleeping rough is up 26% this year, and 74% since 2010. To help raise funds, our Last Night on the Streets winter fundraising campaign has launched. This is our biggest campaign of the year, aiming to raise over £1.5 million to support our ambition of ending homelessness, for good. This is our second year running this campaign, where we ask devoted supporters, such as yourself, to help make tonight someone’s last night on the streets. The campaign focuses on one of the most visible ways we work to end homelessness – on our amazing outreach teams bringing people off the streets during the cold winter months.

On average, it is estimated that there are about 3,000 people sleeping rough on a single night in England. Last year 7,274 people were supported by our outreach teams.

We know that without help, rough sleeping severely shortens lives. And in extreme weather, it can kill. Our outreach teams are out every day and night of the year. But we’re not just on the streets. We provide ongoing support until someone can leave homelessness behind for good.

We would be delighted if you would help us to amplify the campaign by sharing our TV advert linked below. By continuing to support St Mungo’s, you are helping us to ensure that we can make tonight the last night on the streets for many people experiencing homelessness.Your continued championing of our work enables our outreach teams to be out, every day and every night, helping people sleeping rough to find safe beds, and fresh starts.

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 could not be run without your continued support and generosity. Thank you for helping us to end homelessness and rebuild lives. 

Links:

• Kerslake Commission 2023
• Combined Homelessness and Information Network statistics
• Last Night on the Streets TV Advert