“Hiking brings out the best in people”
In September, a group of St Mungo’s staff, supporters, volunteers and clients are hiking up Ben Nevis. We spoke to two staff members from Haringey Assessment Centre, Geran and Leo, about the hiking challenge and why it can help clients in their road to recovery. How did you hear about Ben Nevis? Geran: I was asked by Leo, to head up a training walk for our service before we head to Ben Nevis. We have two residents from our service with us on the training walk who have overcome significant hurdles to be here. Both clients are on alcohol detox programmes. This is the first training walk they have attended and they will come on the Ben Nevis walk if they are able to reduce their drinking. We are the highest support service in the borough, so we tend to be the first place clients come after moving away from the street. As a service we see the hike as a good opportunity for them to have something to aspire to, something to overcome and a reason to reduce drinking. We have a few other clients who are interested and might attend future training walks. Any clients from our service who want to do it have the opportunity to do so. It is often the ones you don’t expect that have the most interest so it’s a good mix of people. Why are these hikes important? Leo: I have been on a lot trips like this and have seen the beneficial effect it has on everyone. It brings people together in such a way that it brings the best out of people. It is a really uplifting experience. It helps the clients we work with get more motivated to achieve good things in their lives, which is ultimately the purpose. Geran: It takes some of the barriers away from the different levels of management. Clients are able to see the human aspects of the staff who often call the shots in a lot of aspects of their lives. I think it’s a humanising experience that shows we are not that different. Why do you think it is important for clients to take part in this challenge? Leo: There is so much to gain for clients. They can find out more about St Mungo’s from other perspectives. It can also change relationships between service workers and clients as it takes away the power dynamic. Geran: I think it’s inspiring for clients to have something to push themselves to do. Some clients have been struggling on this training walk and it is a good motivator to focus on making improvements. In the case of our two clients it’s an opportunity to reduce something that is having a detrimental effect on their life. Did either of you climb Scafell Pike last year? How was it? Leo: I did. It was an amazing experience seeing so many people get uplifted. I love hiking so to get to do that as part of a wider vision is a really special opportunity. After Scafell Pike, a few clients got onto training courses and some have moved on from St Mungo’s accommodation and got their own places. I know at least two clients who did it last year and are going to climb Ben Nevis this year because they got so much out of the trip last time. Why are you personally looking forward to Ben Nevis? Leo: From a selfish point of view I really love hiking and I know how good it is and how satisfying it is to get to the top of something. To be part of St Mungo’s doing it in their 50th year is special. I am looking forward to the reactions of my colleagues and clients from my service. I am optimistic that it will be pretty amazing and mind blowing, because it always is. Geran: I come from the countryside, I love walking and being out in nature. I want to inspire that passion in other people. In September to mark our 50th year 50 clients, staff members and volunteers join staff from our sponsor Tokio Marine to take on the highest peak in Britain. Find out more about our Ben Nevis hiking challenge.
The new NHS plan for mental health services has a clear offer for people sleeping rough
For organisations who have campaigned for many years on homeless health, the NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan is a cause for celebration. Beatrice Orchard, St Mungo’s Head of Policy, Campaigns and Research, explains why the plan must deliver on its ambition to make sure everyone sleeping rough can access the mental health support they need. When the Government’s Rough Sleeping Strategy was published exactly one year ago by MHCLG, there were some positive signs that other government departments would also be doing their bit to reverse the dramatic rise in the number of people sleeping rough in England. One of the most solid commitments was in relation to improving mental health support for people who are sleeping on the streets. Last month, the details of this commitment became clearer when the NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan was published. The plan is clear that by 2023-24, 20 areas with high levels of rough sleeping will have established new specialist mental health provision for people sleeping rough, which will be made possible with £30m of central NHS funding invested for this specific purpose. This is a fantastic result for St Mungo’s Stop the Scandal campaign and our continued efforts to press the Government for investment in specialist mental health services to ensure people sleeping rough can access the support they need. Sleeping rough and mental health – the links It is fairly easy to understand that sleeping rough has a negative impact on a person’s mental health and wellbeing, as well as their physical health. Evidence shows people sleeping rough are 17 times more likely to be victims of violence compared to the general population. News reports describe horrifying attacks and abuse on people sleeping rough and our clients tell us about their experiences of feeling lonely, frightened and even suicidal. Furthermore, we mustn’t overlook the fact that some people sleeping rough have already been through many traumatic experiences in their lives, including violence and abuse from a young age. All of these experiences can cause mental health problems to develop or worsen, but also impact on the type of mental health support people need and how easy they find services to access. New avenues into support The new, NHS-funded, specialist services will make sure that people sleeping rough can access to clinical mental health support by integrating with existing homeless outreach, accommodation and physical healthcare services. They will be required to adopt a trauma-informed approach, known to help improve the psychological and emotional wellbeing of people with complex needs. We also expect the new services to help people who have drug and alcohol problems and are currently excluded from some mainstream mental health services as a result. This specialist support breaks down all of the barriers people sleeping rough often face when trying to get help to improve their mental health. Really effective specialist teams can also influence mainstream health services in their local area, encouraging them to become more knowledgeable and understanding of the needs of people who are sleeping rough. So far, so good. But what about people sleeping rough in other areas not in receipt of this new funding? A welcome step forward Research shows 4 in 10 people sleeping rough in England have an identified mental health problem. The latest data from the CHAIN reports on rough sleeping in London shows 50% of people sleeping rough in the capital in 2018-19 had a mental health support need. It is welcome, therefore, that the new plan for mental health requires all areas of the country to complete a mental health needs assessment for people sleeping rough and take action to increase access to mental health services for this group. This new approach to mental health for people sleeping rough is a real step forward. Specialist mental health services have been tried in the past. We know they can make a dramatic difference to individuals’ lives, and help to reduce rough sleeping by supporting people to move on from homelessness for good. Better still, it doesn’t stop with specialist services this time. Instead all NHS services will need to think about how people sleeping rough can access the healthcare they need in order to rebuild their lives. St Mungo’s will be watching closely and encouraging all areas to ensure the plan delivers.
Tokio Marine sponsor Ben Nevis
After conquering Scafell Pike last year, Team Mungo’s are back for another challenge. This year, staff, clients, volunteers, supporters and our sponsor Tokio Marine take on Ben Nevis. We caught up with Alice from Tokio Marine to tell us why they decided to join this year’s hike. Hello, Alice. Tell us a bit about yourself I’ve been working for Tokio Marine HCC (TMHCC) since March 2017 where I joined as an Underwriting Assistant. I live in Kent with my family and two cocker spaniels, Sonny and Ralph. Whilst at school I was actively involved in fundraising and charity work, working closely with local charity MCCH and as member of Rotary. Why did TMHCC decide to partner up with St Mungo’s? We have a long-standing partnership with St Mungo’s and we wanted to maintain this relationship because our employees believe homelessness is a worthwhile cause. Homelessness is sadly something we all see commuting into London and it is particularly unavoidable in the city. St Mungo’s not only educates our staff about the ways in which we can help prevent and support homelessness, but also assists us with planning exciting fundraising initiatives to maximise our company’s support. Why did you decide to sponsor our Ben Nevis challenge this year? We saw the challenge as a great opportunity to allow employees to hear about the work of St Mungo’s first hand from their clients. It’s also a great way of boosting physical and mental health by escaping from the busy corporate world. It is important for TMHCC that staff engage with our partner charities and we think this challenge is the perfect opportunity for some of our employees to really understand the impact that St Mungo’s can have on those in need. Why did you personally decide to join the challenge? I wanted to take part in the challenge to meet people who have experienced homeless and hear about how St Mungo’s has influenced their lives. There is also the added bonus of the beautiful backdrop of Ben Nevis! Have you done much training? Zilch! I’m hoping that miles of dog walking will hold me in good stead, although I have begun planning some routes in and around Kent. I’m going to attempt to do a 10 mile walk every fortnight to push myself physically and mentally, while also breaking in my new walking boots. We’re also doing some team training walks in August and can’t wait to see everyone come together. What are you hoping to get out of the trip? I’m really looking forward to meeting some of the St Mungo’s clients and hearing their personal stories, while finding out more about the impact St Mungo’s has had on their lives. Find out more about our Ben Nevis challenge and how you can support it.
New homelessness boards
Administrative tinkering or an opportunity to end rough sleeping for good? Last week the Government finished its first stage of consultation on a shake up to local authority structures for tackling homelessness. Changes to statutory structures may not be something that gets the heart racing, but when it comes to delivering the changes and funding needed to end rough sleeping for good, they could have a key role to play, writes Rory Weal, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer for St Mungo’s. Rough sleeping – the most dangerous form of homelessness – has risen by 165% since 2010. This is the result of spiralling housing costs, increasing insecurity for private renters and cuts to services that prevent homelessness – all problems that require national Government to act. And yet, it is actually local authorities who are charged with the primary day-to-day responsibility for tackling homelessness. Since the Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) came into force last year, this responsibility has expanded to include providing advice and support to anyone at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness. What are Homelessness Reduction Boards? The latest government proposal – to create Homelessness Reduction Boards in local authorities – builds on the positive momentum achieved by the HRA, and the Rough Sleeping Strategy, to get a grip on the growing homelessness crisis in England. The proposal is an attempt to ensure all relevant public services and agencies step up as members of these new boards, and they are held to account for their part in preventing and reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. So far so good. But as many of us know, central Government hasn’t made this job easy for local authorities of late. A challenging backdrop Recent research from St Mungo’s and Homeless Link, published last month, shows that local authority spending on services for single homeless people fell by 53% between 2008-09 to 2017-18. This drop is the result of cuts in funding from central government, particularly impacting ‘Supporting People’ services, which focus on helping people to avoid and escape homelessness. Add to this the wider issues of a lack of social rented housing, unaffordability and instability in the private rented sector, and welfare reforms, and we see a dangerous combination of factors which have increased individuals’ vulnerability to homelessness. So with such a challenging backdrop, how can an administrative change really be expected to deliver the impact required to end rough sleeping? The short answer is that on its own, it can’t. But there are a couple of reasons why this is a more than worthwhile exercise: Firstly, because at the local level there is a huge variation in the way any strategic response to homelessness is developed, implemented and monitored. Sometimes this means that elements of the ‘system’, such as health services, are failing to play their part. Secondly, because we believe these new structures could be the vehicles for central Government to deliver the resources councils need to tackle the problem. Investing the funding that’s needed We believe Homelessness Reduction Boards – or a similar set-up where good oversight and accountability is assured – should provide Government with the confidence to invest the extra £1 billion in homelessness services that we know is needed. Having mandatory structures closely scrutinising what services deliver, key partners such as the NHS, prisons and children’s services working to prevent homelessness, and collecting data to demonstrate and respond to this, should satisfy Government that each pound will be spent effectively. The jury is still out on the impact this could have. As always the devil will be in the detail. The principles of these new Boards, however, seem sound and provide an opportunity to secure the funding desperately needed for homelessness services. This shouldn’t avert our focus from the other vital changes required – including building more social homes and improving private renting. Only when these solutions come together will we see everyone have a home for good, and a country in which no one faces the injustice of sleeping rough. Read our full response to the consultation.
Should we talk about death?
Our Palliative Care Coordinator Andy Knee poses this important question and highlights the innovative ways our Palliative Care Service is supporting clients who are at risk of death or in need of bereavement support. Should we talk about death? In St Mungo’s Palliative Care team, we think the simple answer to this question is yes. Death is something that affects us all, that does not discriminate against gender, race, sexuality, culture, or religion. Many of us are fortunate to talk about death and our wishes with loved ones. But what if you don’t have a home? And what if you don’t have family or loved ones to have these conversations with? This is a sad reality for lots of people who experience homelessness. A reality where many of their deaths will be preventable, undignified and untimely, with no planning for their wishes, and sadly many will be forgotten. In 2017 there were an estimated 597 deaths of homeless people in England and Wales, which represents a 24% increase since 2013. The NHS has recently reported a rise in homeless patients returning to the streets with many observing a surge in serious illnesses in the past decade such as respiratory conditions, liver disease, and cancer. Without someone to be their voice and their advocate, many individuals will be trapped in a harmful cycle of being admitted to hospital and discharged to the streets. This is something we can change. Dying Matters Week 2019 ‘Are we ready?’ is the poignant theme of this year’s Dying Matters Week, which helps to raise awareness around this issue. At the end of 2018 we responded to the increase in homeless deaths and continue to pave the way in making change for people experiencing homelessness. We know the importance of providing end of life care and support to our clients, and we are using creative and innovative new ways to provide this service. Our Palliative Care Service To mark Dying Matters Week, we’re shining a light on our Palliative Care Service. This service is the only one of its kind in the homelessness sector and has benefited from dedicated funders over the last five years. The purpose of the Palliative Care Service is to coordinate a flexible and responsive care pathway to support clients who have a terminal prognosis or acute and potentially fatal health conditions, and to provide them with options that protect their quality of life. The service works to ensure that our clients can access healthcare and that we provide appropriate support to help them approach the end of their life with dignity and respect. We meet with local health services, lead change with research, and continue to develop tools and support structures for St Mungo’s. We’re also here to support staff across St Mungo’s to feel empowered and discuss death as openly as possible. Our aim is to ensure that everyone experiences a ‘good death’. We are also working to destigmatise this term, which holds so much power and importance. New Befriending Service This year the service has expanded to include our Palliative Care Volunteer Coordinator, and in June 2019, St Mungo’s will launch a new Befriending Service. The Befriending Service will serve to support clients that are at risk of death, or clients who need bereavement support for a recent or historical loss. In addition, the Befriending Service will support colleagues and teams around loss and bereavement, reinforcing our message: “you are not alone”. In response to the theme of Dying Matters Week – “Are we ready?” – St Mungo’s can proudly say “We are, and will continue to be.” Find our more about our Palliative Care Service.
Creating change for women facing homelessness
St Mungo’s has published a new three year ‘Women’s Strategy’ setting out how we plan to improve our services for women and influence policy on women’s homelessness. Our Women’s Strategy Manager Cat Glew introduces our approach. Five years ago St Mungo’s published our ground-breaking Rebuilding Shattered Lives research into women’s homelessness. We found that homelessness services are often designed with men in mind, and were often failing to support women effectively. Sadly, it remains the case that women facing homelessness are still at a disproportionate risk of harm from those they love and trust, alongside the existing dangers of homelessness. Since 2014 a growing body of evidence has highlighted the connections between women’s experiences of violence and abuse, poor physical and mental health, substance use and homelessness. According to the latest figures, 642 women sleep rough on any one night in England, up from 509 in 2016. Many more women are likely to be experiencing hidden homelessness – seeking shelter with abusive partners, squatting or sofa surfing with friends and family – so may be missing from the statistics. Women’s homelessness often occurs after prolonged experiences of trauma, including physical, sexual and emotional abuse by those closest to them. Violence and abuse are both a cause and consequence of women’s homelessness, with women experiencing further abuse, exploitation and violence while homeless. Women-only spaces are a matter of safety for many women. Despite this, just 7% of homelessness services in England offer women-only provision, according to data from Homeless Link. Our greatest challenge and our most important aim is to create an environment of physical and psychological safety for women in homelessness services. We’ll be working hard to make sure that each of our female clients has a safe place to live and has every reason to feel safe in our services. We know that funding for women-specific work is falling, but we also understand that our female clients cannot wait for the Government to prioritise women’s homelessness. As a homelessness charity, it is our responsibility to make sure that we are achieving the best possible outcomes with women, as well as men. We have made the decision to make women’s safety and women’s recovery a priority. Our new Women’s Strategy sets out some ambitious aims that will help us improve our practice and influence government policy. Our ambitions for the next three years include: Offering women-only services and spaces as an option for all female clients, at every stage of their recovery Supporting and equipping St Mungo’s staff to better recognise and respond to violence and abuse Improving rough sleeping services so that they are even safer and more effective for women Working with specialist agencies to offer individual support to women around domestic and sexual abuse There’s plenty to do, but I’m really looking forward to working with all our clients, staff and partners to make our ideas a reality. Listening to the ideas and experiences of St Mungo’s women is an amazing privilege and the very best part of my job. I hope that partners, politicians and the public will read our strategy and join us as we create change with women facing homelessness. Read our brand new women’s strategy here
The value of apprentices at St Mungo’s
In this blog to mark the end of National Apprenticeship Week, our Head of Volunteering, Apprenticeships and Placements, Iver Morgan, reflects on the value and skills that apprentices bring to St Mungo’s and a new Social Work Apprenticeship launching later this year. More than 200 people have successfully completed St Mungo’s award winning Apprenticeship Scheme, since it began more than a decade ago. With National Apprenticeship Week drawing to a close, I have been reflecting on the last ten years and thinking ahead to the launch of a new Apprenticeship later this year. Our Apprenticeship Scheme is for people who have lived experience of using support services. This could be that you have slept rough or have lived in a hostel, or you might have suffered from mental health issues or spent time in custody. Our Apprenticeships are 15 months long, where you work in placements across the organisation for five days a week. While 20% of your time will be geared towards learning, giving you time to train and study for qualifications. Our Apprenticeships are currently in either adult social care or business administration The scheme is a perfect opportunity to learn practical skills in the workplace whilst gaining a qualification and boosting your confidence. The qualifications are offered by Opps Development, a training provider, which tailors the support they offer to ensure it meets the needs and ambitions of our apprentices. Many of our apprentices have had a complex past and their own individual battles. Through our Apprenticeship Scheme, people are able to use their own lived experience to support others to achieve their goals. One of our current Social Care apprentices is Jack. Before he started he thought: “given my past I never thought I would ever be able to do the role I do.” Now, coming to the end of his qualification, Jack says: “I love the fact that I’m helping people get their life back on track. I wish I did this years ago!” When I look across the organisation, I see former apprentices throughout our services and central departments. Some are now deputy managers or managers, it gives me an immense sense of pride to see the journey they have been on. All of our apprentices bring huge value to our work, not just to clients but also to us as their colleagues. The best apprentices are the ones who ask questions. It helps create a learning cycle, so that staff can assess their work and continue to improve the positive impact our service can have for clients. That learning is important: supporting professionals and those in the wider community to understand the causes and consequences of homelessness is vital in helping our clients to recover. Another way of improving this understanding among professionals is through our student placement scheme, which involves 250 social work and nursing students every year working with our clients. These placements are a fantastic opportunity for students to gain first-hand experience of working with people with a mix of strengths, vulnerabilities and needs. The involvement of social workers at St Mungo’s can only ever be a positive. That’s why I am delighted that the Apprenticeship Standard for Social Work has been approved and we will be offering our first St Mungo’s Social Work Apprenticeship later this year. These three year Apprenticeships will be open to our staff who at the end will achieve an honours degree in social work. It will help our staff develop new skills and understanding but, more importantly, we know that these skills and expertise will help our clients to move on from homelessness and live fulfilling lives. Find out more about our Apprenticeship Scheme and how you can apply.
Why I think everyone deserves a Home for Good
Kevin, a former client of St Mungo’s, has been championing our Home for Good campaign and last week handed in an open letter to the Government signed by over 21,300 people. He explains what changes are needed to help people who have slept rough have a home for good. Rough sleeping has more than doubled since 2010. That’s a shocking fact. Why? Years of cuts to essential support services, spiralling housing costs and increasing insecurity for private renters. Something needs to give. That’s why I am championing St Mungo’s Home for Good campaign. Last week, I handed in my letter to the Secretary of State for Housing, James Brokenshire, with the signatures of over 21,300 campaigners who agree with me that the Government should be doing more to end rough sleeping permanently. I’m a former client of St Mungo’s Following the death of my mum when I was 12, I struggled with mental health and substance use. For years I didn’t have a stable home and stayed with partners or friends. I burnt a lot of bridges and became street homeless. It was a very dark time of my life. I was so far away from my authentic ‘me’ that I couldn’t see a way out. But I had a really good St Mungo’s caseworker who saw something in me. He told me that I didn’t have to live this way anymore. That’s when I started to find a bit of self-love, and while I still had some trouble along the way, it was the first time I could see an alternative. With the help of St Mungo’s and others, I was supported into a private rented flat, but what people do not realise is that just housing people does not solve the problem of homelessness. Just having a roof over your head isn’t enough Moving into your own place can be the hardest and scariest time for anyone. A lot of people need ongoing support; I needed ongoing support. Without the right help, things quickly spiralled out of control and I wound up back on the streets. It wasn’t until I got a place in social housing that things stabilised for me. Now I work with people experiencing homelessness every day, and I see the same issues I faced come up again and again. It’s hard being on this side of the fence, seeing people struggle and knowing that the money isn’t there for the help they need. So what needs to change? We need more social housing To start with, more housing must be made available to people with a history of sleeping rough, and these homes need to be affordable and for the long term. That’s why I’m asking the Government to build more social housing, with some of these new homes reserved for people who have slept rough. And why I’m asking for improvements to the private rented sector to make tenancies more stable and limit rent increases so that fewer people face eviction in the first place. We need more funding for support services There also needs to be guaranteed long-term funding for the support services people need to end their homelessness for good. Reintegration is the most important part of anybody’s journey out of homelessness, be it through social housing or private landlords. But reintegration requires ongoing support and trust in your caseworker. If you don’t have somebody there for you who’s consistent, regular and has your trust, is there any wonder that a large percentage of people are ending back on the street? But funding for support services has declined over recent years. Floating support services (support provided in someone’s home to help them manage their tenancy and to live independently) for example have been cut by more than 40% in London alone. It’s getting dangerous on the streets If I could say one thing to the Housing Secretary, it would be ‘open your eyes, it’s getting dangerous out there for a lot of people’. In 2017 almost 600 people died while living on the streets or in emergency accommodation. This has to stop. We came so close to ending rough sleeping ten years ago. The Government needs to act now to make sure that everyone can find, and keep, a home for good. Read more about the Home for Good campaign here.
Tackling homelessness in Lisbon
In summer 2018 Ed Addison, Case Coordinator for St Mungo’s project Street Impact London, took part in a two week long cultural exchange programme in the USA. Since then he has also been to Portugal to see how they approach street homelessness. Ed explains more about what he learned from Crescer, an organisation which has homeless and substance use outreach services in Lisbon. In my work in London, I see on a daily basis how the cycle of homelessness and drug use can be very hard for people to break out of. Using drugs can make people very sick and hard for them to address some basic needs, including housing. I wanted to see if I could learn a different way to support people who are using drugs and facing homelessness, and was fortunate to be able to spend three days with Crescer, which has staff offering substance misuse and homeless outreach services in Portugal’s capital, Lisbon. Minimising harm Throughout the 1990s Portugal had high rates of HIV and opiate related death, affecting all levels of society. Many people in Portugal knew a close friend or family member who was affected. In 2001 the government decriminalised the use of drugs and gave organisations like Crescer a platform to use a harm minimisation approach to address the issue. This kind of approach recognises that sometimes people will not be ready to make changes such as stopping their drinking or drug use completely, and helps people to minimise the risks to themselves and others. On my first day at Crescer I went out with the ‘E Uma Rua’ service in the east of the city. The team was made up of three psychologists, a nurse, a social worker and a psychiatrist. I watched as they talked to people on the streets, offering harm reduction advice, distributing kits meaning people could use drugs more safely and collecting used needles in a needle disposal bin. I was moved to see how the outreach workers offered support to individuals where they were, regardless of their situation. Those they spoke to seemed to hold them in high esteem and were willing to talk about their issues. Crescer work in cooperation with other services including a methadone van. Once people are registered, they are able to access a mobile service to receive their methadone prescriptions from a van. This serves the city seven days a week distributing methadone to 1,200 people at four locations throughout the day and is thought to be behind a reduction seen in drug related antisocial behaviour. The harm reduction approach means in Portugal, whilst there hasn’t necessarily been a decrease in the number of drug users, there has been a massive drop in cases of HIV, other blood born viruses and opiate related death. Housing First Crescer also offers a Housing First service – ‘E Uma Casa’ – which provides people who have slept rough for long periods, and also have mental and physical health needs, with a home. Their approach is multi-disciplinary, meaning lots of different agencies work together to provide support. The team currently supports 36 people and is made up of psychologists, a social worker, a nurse, a psychiatrist and a peer advocate. The team establishes a relationship with a person living on the street over a number of months and offers them a house. Once they have a home, the team put support plans in place, conducting home visits and offering psychological support, to help manage their drug use, mental health needs and encourage development of independent living skills. The team also works to empower the local community to offer support to those housed in the project. For example, I saw people from a local convenience store looking after a person with mental health needs and dispensing their daily medication. The challenge of ending rough sleeping I would like to say a big thank you to Crescer for hosting me for three days and giving me a fantastic insight in to the amazing work they are doing in Lisbon. In London I cycle up to 100 miles a week as part of my job, finding and working with people who are sleeping rough. That equates to a lot of thinking time! I’ve been inspired by some of the innovations I saw, particularly those which take specialists to the streets to meet people where they are. In Portugal, working together in an interdisciplinary way is reducing harm, and linking people who are using drugs on the street with other services that could help them leave homelessness behind such as sorting out benefit claims and mental health support. What I have seen in Portugal convinced me that treating the issue of drug use as a matter of public health is effective. I believe it is time for the UK to follow suit and recognise the severe health crisis that is occurring on our streets, in our communities and in our prisons, often due to drug dependency and other complex interrelated factors such as trauma, and mental health issues. We are starting to see more funding for multi-disciplinary approaches to supporting people who are homeless. I believe introducing innovative ideas could improve health outcomes for people who are sleeping rough and using drugs, helping to reduce drug related antisocial behaviour, the number of people needing ambulance services and the number of drug related deaths. Find out more about our service models, including Housing First and Social Impact Bonds.
How to keep your New Year’s resolution
New Year’s resolutions are easy to make, but often difficult to keep. In this blog, our Head of Volunteering, Iver Morgan, reflects on the challenges and rewards that volunteering at St Mungo’s can bring and highlights the difference you could make to the lives of people experiencing homelessness this year. It’s that time of year where many of us are making New Year’s resolutions, some of which will be easier to keep than others. For a lot of people that may be learning to do something new or giving something back. At the end of 2018, I was reflecting on just that – how much our volunteers give, the skills they bring with them and the new ones they learn. They make a real difference, on a daily basis, to the lives of people experiencing homelessness. All of our volunteers, whatever their role and whether they have just joined us or are one of our long standing volunteers, play an important role in the fight to end homelessness. Through donating their time, skills and experience – and doing so in a compassionate and sensitive way – volunteers help demonstrate to our clients that they are not alone, that there is a future away from homelessness and that they can rebuild their lives. Volunteering at St Mungo’s can be challenging, it’s often complex and each day is never the same, but our volunteers always tell us how rewarding they find it. We know their role makes a huge difference to our clients – helping to reduce isolation, while increasing their confidence and helping them to learn new skills. But don’t take my word for it. Hannah is part of First Response – our innovative new scheme for volunteers to help our Outreach teams find people who are sleeping rough. Here’s what she says about her role: “I started volunteering with St Mungo’s because I wanted to use some of my spare time to get involved in my community and make a difference to people’s lives. Through First Response, I can see the direct impact that volunteers have, supporting outreach teams and helping to reduce the devastating levels of homelessness across London. It’s an issue that’s really important to me, so having the opportunity to work with other people who feel passionate about reducing homelessness through volunteering at St Mungo’s is a real privilege.” So if you’re thinking about how to keep your new year’s resolutions, why not have a look at volunteering with us. Be that holder of hope for people that are struggling to see it themselves. We have a variety of volunteering opportunities available across London and the South of England. Volunteering with us, will give you the opportunity to use your time and skills to make a difference to the lives of people experiencing homelessness. Find out more about volunteering at St Mungo’s and view our current volunteering vacancies.
