Coronavirus:Helping rough sleepers off the streets

Firstly a big thank you as always for your continued support of our work. It is now a year on from the start of lockdown and the Government’s "Everyone In" initiative. It has been an extraordinary year and we have learnt a lot.

The pandemic has put a spotlight on the dangers of sleeping rough. It has also exposed and exacerbated the precarious housing and financial situations of many people in England. However, in the face of an incredibly challenging year, we have proved that when we work together we can end rough sleeping.

The “Everyone In” initiative launched on 26 March 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic was an incredible success and shows that with the will, the coordination and the funding, ending rough sleeping is possible.

During the pandemic, St Mungo’s have supported more than 4,000 people and managed a total of 30 emergency accommodation hotels. We are proud to have contributed to the success of the Everyone In initiative in the places where we work. Alongside our local authority partners, our staff have worked tirelessly to support as many people as possible off the streets, into emergency accommodation, and then into a more permanent home. The work of the last year has saved hundreds, and changed thousands, of people’s lives. During this period we have helped 1,478 people move in to longer-term housing.

Partnership working between homelessness service providers, health professionals, local and national Government saw progress on an unprecedented scale. The latest Government statistics demonstrate this impact and estimate that more than 37,000 people have been helped to move away from the streets.

“Having my own room in the hotel gave me space to think about what I wanted to do next. I knew I wasn’t alone and I didn’t feel stuck anymore.” - St Mungo's hotel client

Although the last year has seen some very positive action, we now need to build on that success and we know we will be facing new challenges in the year ahead. The social impacts of the pandemic have already included rising unemployment, negative impacts on mental and physical health and increased domestic violence. We also anticipate an increase in evictions, particularly no fault evictions. These issue will lead to more people facing homelessness and we will be here to support those who find themselves dealing with this terrible situation.  

Thank you again for you on-going support of our work.