Supporting people through a lonely time of year
During the winter there’s less opportunity for people to go out and so the people we support can isolate themselves which can have a negative impact on their mental health. Here, Ben, a Housing First Caseworker in Westminster shares how our teams are focusing on arranging activities for the people we support to ensure they […]
Housing First as part of the pandemic response
Over the last year our Housing First service in Brighton has grown rapidly as part of the response to the pandemic. Last summer the service was supporting 22 people and by the end of this year this will increase to 60. We are currently helping 50 people with an imminent five offers made and the […]
Housing First in action: Camden
One of the largest Housing First services St Mungo’s provides is in Camden, which we began running in 2014 with 20 clients. The service has since expanded four times, mostly through Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) funding, although its most recent expansion was through the Next Steps Accommodation Programme, increasing its capacity to 72 clients. The power […]
Housing First – achieving the aim of ending rough sleeping for good
Housing first was once thought of as a radical rethinking of how homelessness could be tackled – but over the years it has become an increasingly important element to achieving the aim of ending rough sleeping for good. One person who has witnessed the scheme’s successes – and a few challenges – over the years […]
Housing First can be an integral part of ending homelessness
As new research is published about Housing First in England, St Mungo’s Chief Executive Steve Douglas CBE explains why its client-centred focus means it can be an ideal fit for us and our clients and echoes our recovery approach. A version of this blog has been published in Inside Housing magazine. I read a great piece this week about […]
Calling on the Government for Housing First, not housing only
The centrepiece of the new Conservative Government’s commitment to end rough sleeping is an expansion of the Housing First scheme. Dave Wilson, Impact & Evaluation Officer, shares some new research about St Mungo’s own Housing First services and discusses how they offer a potential solution to our rough sleeping crisis. It was easy to miss […]