St Mungo’s
frontline
ACTION WEEK SPECIAL EDITION
FRONTLINE NEWS
Welcome
Welcome to your
special Action Week
edition of Frontline.
Homelessness is on
the rise at a shocking
rate. The number
of rough sleepers
across the country
has risen by more
than 30% over the past two years.
Tragically, ten people will sleep
rough for the first time today, but
even one night on the streets is a
lonely and scary experience.
No one should have to live
like this, which is why we are
saying
.
During Action Week, we will be
launching new research based on
interviews with people who have
recently ended up on the streets
to highlight how opportunities to
prevent homelessness are being
missed. Worryingly, about a third
of the people interviewed said they
had ended up homeless because
of an eviction from their home.
Homelessness is preventable,
but help needs to be given at the
earliest stage possible. We will be
lobbying the Government for a
commitment to reverse this
unacceptable rise in rough sleeping.
Please do read about our Action
Week campaign on pages 6 to 9
and join our
campaign.
Frontline news
St Mungo’s Radio 4 Appeal helps
support homeless women
We were delighted when Lorna Smith,
one of our Apprentice Project
workers, presented our first ever
Radio 4 Appeal in February. Lorna did
us proud and the appeal raised an
incredible £12,000 towards our
Rebuilding Shattered Lives campaign.
Thank you to everyone that showed
their support, and an extra special
thanks to Lorna.
Putting Down Roots blossoms
Lorna
Our Putting Down Roots (PDR)
gardening programme has received
a fantastic boost of nearly £100,000
thanks to the City of London
Corporation’s charity, City Bridge Trust.
Dragon’s Den comes to St Mungo’s
Earlier this year, ‘Dragon’s Den’ fever
spread across St Mungo’s as clients
were invited to apply for funding of up
to £2,000 to help them set up some
new activities programmes.
Funding comes from our client
representative group Outside In’s
annual activities budget, which is itself
supported by your kind donations.
Applications must meet strict criteria.
For instance activities should represent
value for money by creating significant
positive outcomes for clients and
projects should be sustainable.
The Outside In Activities Grants panel
started last year and consists of our
Client Involvement team and two or
three Outside In members. The aim
of the panel is to help make activities
more creative and innovative and
more in tune with what our clients
want. They should also have a
particular focus on informal learning
and strengthening social networks.
The panel got together to evaluate
the eight applications that got through
to this stage and made the tough
decision on which they would fund.
Successful ideas included a healthy
eating workshop, exercise classes and
a camping trip with motivational and
team bonding activities at our
Mulberry House project in Bath.
Thank you for your loyal support.
Left to right: Andy, Krishna,Tracy and
Kyle deliberate over the applications
Tanya English
Executive Director
Fundraising & Communications
A
New funding helps
Putting Down Roots
grow
This is wonderful news as it means
that 40 more of our clients will
have the opportunity to gain
horticultural skills and on the job
experience tending a number of
London’s local gardens.
Rod Cullen, Skills and Employment
Group Manager at St Mungo’s, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to have
been awarded this City Bridge Trust
grant to help us build on the success
of Putting Down Roots. Many
homeless people who volunteer with
us have been unemployed for a long
time. They want to work, but can lack
the skills and confidence. We plan to
employ a new gardening trainer who
will work directly with them to help
achieve their ambitions.”
Over the last year 96 people have
volunteered with Putting Down
Roots. Twenty of those have taken
up contract gardening work and 31
www.mungos.org
have gone on to take part in further
training, volunteering and
employment.
Putting Down Roots
wins awards
St Mungo’s Putting Down Roots
(PDR) team has also been
celebrating winning two prestigious
awards in the world of gardening.
The delighted team won a City of
London Growing Localities award in
the Gardening and Growing food
category, recognising their work in
boosting employment prospects in
the horticultural sector.
PDR was also named runner up in
the national Gardening Against
the Odds Awards. They were
recognised for their hard work
transforming the gardens of St John’s
Church in Waterloo – previously a
rundown patch of land popular with
street drinkers. St Mungo’s clients
were presented with an award at a
ceremony at Syon House, whose
guests included TV gardening
celebrity, Alan Titchmarsh.
Martin Calderwood, St Mungo’s
Putting Down Roots Coordinator,
said: “We are delighted to receive not
one, but two such impressive awards.
This is testament to the hard work of
St Mungo’s Putting Down Roots
volunteers and staff who give hours of
their time, making gardens lovely
spaces for local communities to really
enjoy. At the same time Putting Down
Roots is supporting people’s health
and wellbeing and developing great
‘back to work’ skills.”
Update on Action Week 2012 – Rebuilding Shattered Lives
We are now a year into our 18 month
campaign, Rebuilding Shattered
Lives, which aims to identify how we
can get the right help to vulnerable
and homeless women at the right time
and improve the services available to
them. Since the campaign started we
have signed up over 270 members
Find us online
2
PDR clients receive their award from the
Bishop of Carlisle at Syon House
from 146 organisations across three
continents and received 131
submissions across six themes.
Our theme on ‘Women involved in the
criminal justice system’ recently came to
a close, and we are now exploring
‘Mental health and wellbeing’ for women.
We will continue to collect
contributions during 2013 and use this
robust and dynamic evidence to
campaign for more effective services
for women. We would like to extend
a big thank you to all our supporters
while our campaign continues.
www.rebuildingshatteredlives.org
View this newsletter online at www.mungos.org/enews
Join us on Facebook.com/StMungosUK
http://blog.mungos.org/
Follow us on twitter.com/StMungos
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ACTION WEEK 2013 –
ACTION WEEK 2013 –
Are the welfare cuts
increasing the risk of
homelessness?
When most people think of homelessness they usually think
of someone sleeping rough on the streets. No doubt many
of us will have passed someone huddled in a sleeping bag
trying to shelter from the elements. This all too familiar
scene just serves to highlight the pressing need for
additional services that help people off the streets.
The official statistics from the
Department for Communities and
Local Government show that the
number of rough sleepers across
England has risen by 31% over
the past two years.
The number of people seen sleeping
rough in London alone has risen
by 34% during the past two
years. The chart below shows that
more than 5,600 people slept rough in
London at some point during 2011-12.
We are concerned that this
upward trend will continue.
When a person is contacted by
outreach teams or other services
6,000
working with rough sleepers in
London their details are recorded on
a central database called CHAIN
*(Combined Homelessness and
Information Network).
The London figures detail more about
how the numbers have risen:
• 3,825 people were seen sleeping
rough for the first time in 2011-12, a
62% increase compared to 2010-11
• 1,199 people were seen sleeping
rough for two or more years, a rise
of 11% since 2010-11
• 654 have returned to rough
sleeping after a gap of a year or
more, an increase of 22% since
2010-11.
Number of rough sleepers in London (figures taken from CHAIN)*
5,678
5,000
4,000
3,975
3,000
3,673
2,000
1,000
0
4
2010
www.mungos.org
2011
2012
The statistics also show that:
• A vast majority (88%) are men
aged between 26 and 45
• Many people have one or more
support needs – 47% need help
with their alcohol use, 29% have
problems with drugs and 43% have
mental health issues
• The proportion of rough sleepers
with no known support needs has
risen to 24%, compared to 17% in
2010-11.
Many people sleeping rough simply do
not know what assistance may be
available and where to look for
support. This, they tell us, compounded
their feelings of shame and fear about
approaching others for help.
St Mungo’s street outreach teams go
out every night to find people who
are sleeping rough, build up trusting
relationships, and offer support and
encouragement to bring homeless
men and women off the streets.
Last year these services helped 430
people off the streets and into
accommodation in London alone.
It is vital that we continue to invest in
services that get help to rough sleepers
quickly and support them while they get
their lives back on track. We must also
prevent homelessness before it happens.
That is why we are putting the rise in
rough sleeping under the spotlight in our
Action Week campaign this year – you
can read more about it on pages 6-9.
In the wake of the biggest shake up to the welfare
benefits system in over 60 years, we are deeply
concerned that these changes at a time of an economic
downturn, combined with cuts to support services for
vulnerable people, could lead to even higher levels of
homelessness and rough sleeping.
The recession has put more
pressure on families and relationships.
As well as the increased risk of
homelessness, we believe that
aspects of the welfare reforms may
make it more difficult for our clients
to move out of St Mungo’s into their
own accommodation.
We anticipate that the following
changes may have the greatest
impact over the next few years:
Cap to Housing Benefit
This is a cap that now applies to
people living in private rented
accommodation who are receiving
housing benefit. The amount of
housing benefit that people can claim
is subject to housing allowance limits
that are set locally, with nationally set
caps applying in the most expensive
areas. We believe these caps will
mean there will be fewer properties
that our clients can afford to move
into when they leave St Mungo’s.
Under the new benefits system,
single 25-35 year olds will now only
be eligible for housing benefit that
covers the cost of a room in a
shared house rather than a one bed
or studio flat. For people who have
been homeless and who are now
trying to get back on the right path,
shared accommodation is often not
appropriate.
Changes to Social
Fund awards
In 2011-12 over 1.7 million grants
and loans were awarded to provide
a lifeline for people in financial crisis.
For instance, this enabled our clients
to buy essential items when moving
into a new home.
This part of the Social Fund was
previously administered by national
Government loans and grants, but
has now been passed to local
councils to manage. This has created
the risk of a ‘postcode lottery’ based
on location, for people who are
already struggling to make ends meet.
Council Tax Benefit
changes
In April, the Government also
handed over the management of
Council Tax benefits to the local
councils. The pot of money available
has been reduced and the local
authority can now ask claimants to
make a contribution.
This means clients in self contained
St Mungo’s accommodation, and
those who are ready to move on,
could be asked to pay Council Tax
for the first time. These new
payments could be a significant
proportion of many of our clients’
available income.
St Mungo’s has lobbied the
Government to address some of
our concerns. We successfully
persuaded them that homeless
people who have been living in a
hostel for three months or more
shouldn’t have to share.
As a result, these people will still be
able to get enough housing benefit
to enable them to live in a selfcontained flat. We are continuing to
call on the Government to make
sure that vulnerable people get the
support they need during this
period of major reform to the
welfare system.
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ACTION WEEK 2013 –
ACTION WEEK 2013 –
others have shut down altogether. There
are only three left in the borough I work
in – each full.
Over the summer it’s going to get even
worse as there aren’t the emergency
shelters which are provided in winter.
There’s no stereotypical homeless person
– people can be lawyers, doctors or
teachers.”
Reaching out
Helping people off the streets is at the
heart of what we do and we’re proud
to continue working on initiatives for
rough sleepers including:
Street Impact – our new project
working with around 400 named long
term rough sleepers in London,
helping rebuild their lives away from
the streets.
During our Action Week this year (24-30 June) we are saying
. By providing the right support at the right time
we believe we can prevent people from having to sleep rough
in the first place. We will be launching new research based on
interviews conducted by St Mungo’s clients with people who
have recently ended up on the streets. Our report will highlight
how opportunities to prevent homelessness are being missed,
and we will set out steps that can be taken to stop this.
As outlined on page 4, the latest
official figures* show that since 2010,
numbers of rough sleepers have
increased by 31% across England and
by 34% in London.
More than 5,600 people slept
rough in London last year.
Tragically, ten people will sleep
rough for the first time today.
Imagine a full house at the
Shaftesbury Theatre, one of
London’s largest. That’s the
number of people (1,382)
Outreach teams found sleeping
rough in the capital during January
and February 2013.
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www.mungos.org/NoMore
“Each statistic is an
individual who has
reached a point
where they do not
know where to turn.”
Our Chief Executive Charles Fraser
says, “We are extremely concerned that
there are nearly a third more rough
sleepers on the streets than two years
ago. It is completely unacceptable that
the trend is continuing in the wrong
direction, particularly in the capital. The
really sad thing is that each statistic is
an individual who has reached a point
where they do not know where to turn
and the help does not seem to be there
for them.”
While the situation is concerning now,
it looks set to get worse. According to
a poll undertaken by ComRes, nearly
one in five people currently renting a
property (19%) say they would have
to sleep on the streets for the first
night if they had to leave their home
within a month. It’s no surprise that
over a quarter of St Mungo’s residents
cite eviction as their primary reason
for becoming homeless.
Colin, St Mungo’s Outreach worker,
Southwark, South London:
“I’m part of a team of five, working
shifts so that we have a good chance of
reaching people as they’re bedding
down. The number of people on the
streets has shot up over the past month.
At the same time, because of funding
cuts, we’ve less to offer than ever – we’re
all chasing a reducing number of beds.
There are waiting lists at many hostels,
*National figures published by the Department for Communities and Local Government (latest figures
at time of writing). London figures published are from CHAIN and cover 2011-12.
No Second Night Out – we host
the pilot project from the Mayor’s
London Delivery Board aimed at
ensuring people sleeping rough for the
first time do not have to spend a
second night on the streets – so far
it’s succeeded in 8 out of 10 cases.
Working in partnership with
Broadway homelessness charity we’re
reaching more rough sleepers than
ever before with the expansion of the
service across London.
No Living on the Streets – a new
scheme we run, thanks to funding from
the Greater London Authority (GLA),
which is targeted at those people who
have already been sleeping rough for
some time. It’s a 24/7 service which
connects people with appropriate
services to help them recover and gets
them into accommodation.
Getting people off the streets as
quickly as possible is hugely important.
However, how much better would it
be if they had never arrived there in
the first place?
So what leads someone
to become homeless?
Through our day-to-day work we
know that homelessness is very often
“I was a successful business manager with a
fulfilling life. I never thought I’d end up
sleeping in a doorway.” Ian
Much of Ian’s story is, sadly, all too
common. A successful business manager
in London’s Square Mile, things began to
go wrong when Ian’s parents died within
six months of each other. As the only
child, it fell to him to sort everything
out at the family home in Lancashire.
Meanwhile his girlfriend disappeared,
along with his credit card, leaving him
with debts of £5,000.
Everything fell apart, and to get away
from the pressure, Ian began living on
the streets. After ten years he finally
came to live at The Lodge, a St Mungo’s project
catering specifically for the needs of older homeless people and
entrenched rough sleepers. He now has a flat of his own and volunteers
for a couple of charities.
preventable. Our Action Week peer
research report supports this,
revealing that there are several key
triggers to someone sleeping rough; all
of which we believe can be addressed
by providing the right support at the
right time.
“About a third had
ended up homeless
because of an
eviction, and many
reported having
lost jobs.”
The vast majority of interviewees
had encountered problems with their
families, often leaving home at a
young age and now, many years
later, having no contact with them.
Questions about family in the
interviews were frequently met with
a terse ‘We don’t speak any more’
and a shut-down response indicating
that it’s a painful subject.
Similarly, losing a family member can
have a devastating effect. Several
interviewees began their journey to
the streets when a spouse, parent or
child died.
Mental health problems are highly
prevalent, including depression and
schizophrenia. Drug and alcohol
problems are also common, affecting
most of the interviewees.
About a third had ended up homeless
because of an eviction, and many
reported having lost jobs.
The ‘wrong’ kind of friends came up as
a significant theme – getting in with a
drug-using crowd for example and
finding it difficult to move away from
that world. People talked about
having acquaintances rather than
friends, and when coupled with having
no family it has led to intense
loneliness, even when surrounded by
people in a hostel.
It is clear that for many people
problems stem back to childhood.
Many left home in their early teens
and/or came from a difficult family
background or experience in care.
We found that when people are
running out of options to avoid rough
sleeping, they are often unable to seek
help because they don’t realise what is
happening to them.
continued...
7
ACTION WEEK 2013 –
ACTION WEEK 2013 –
How we’re trying to
prevent homelessness
Here’s a snapshot of just some of our
current work around the country,
made possible with your support:
Helping to prevent repeat
homelessness
We are concerned that people who
have been homeless are at risk of
becoming homeless again.
That’s why in South London, our
pioneering ‘More than a Key’
scheme is supporting 35 clients under
35, who want to move into private
rented flats outside of the capital. St
Mungo’s is helping them with the
practical, yet daunting tasks of viewing
properties, putting down a deposit and
making the move itself. We’re also
providing clients with the DIY skills to
renovate their own homes. ‘More
than a key’ aims to stop repeat
homelessness and builds on our current
Peer Advice Link (PAL) service,
through which people who have been
homeless themselves volunteer to
provide support to others moving into
new homes away from St Mungo’s.
Housing vulnerable people
successfully
We house thousands of people who
would otherwise be at real risk of
homelessness.
For example, in Bath, at Mulberry
House and Mews, we provide highly
supportive accommodation for people
with mental health problems and who
are also often very socially isolated. We
work closely with each client to offer
the right level of support, encouraging
clients to get involved in activities such
as gardening and woodwork, which can
improve their mental wellbeing and
help them develop new skills.
Supporting vulnerable people
in the community
We help thousands of people through
our work in the community.
For example, in Bath and North East
Somerset we’re also helping clients
with mental health issues to lead
more independent and fulfilling lives.
Through our Building Bridges to
Wellbeing service, we’re developing
peer support networks and groups,
encouraging clients to use their skills
and talents to inspire others. We have
also produced a peer research report
‘Bridging the Gap’, identifying six
areas where those with mental health
needs are not being adequately
supported, all too often leading to a
life on the streets.
Helping young people at risk
of homelessness
Across London, Milton Keynes and
Oxfordshire we’re working with the
local councils, providing
accommodation and support for
young people who are at risk of
becoming homeless.
Looking ahead
The growing scale of the homeless
problem is alarming. However, with the
right support and facilities in place, we
believe we can stop homelessness
before it starts. There is so much more
that we can do. We want to:
Prevent rough sleeping so no one
ends up living on the streets by:
• Continuing our work with young
people, in prison, in care and in the
community, offering educational
and employment opportunities to
break the cycle of neglect they
have experienced
• Piloting a Housing Options
Prevention and Emergency (HOPE)
team who can offer advice and
coaching to vulnerable people
before they reach crisis point.
Ensure no one returns to the
streets by:
A client takes part in our Putting Down Roots gardening
project. Activities like this help our clients develop new
skills and improve their mental wellbeing
8
www.mungos.org/NoMore
• Bolstering our unique LifeWorks
programme, which provides
counselling and access to dedicated
mental health services for people
who are excluded from
mainstream counselling services
• Rolling out our resettlement teams
across the capital and in the south
west of England. We plan to do
this by:
– Extending our Peer Advice Link
(PAL) service to provide the
mentoring support that we
know works so well
– Recruiting more Move On
Training (MOT) team members
to prepare our homeless
residents for independent living
– teaching skills such as
budgeting and explaining
tenancy agreements.
Provide help in emergencies by:
• Enabling outreach services to help
more people off the streets and
into accommodation
• Expanding StreetMed, our service
in London which offers access to
essential health care services to
those people we cannot help off
the streets
• Ensuring our accommodation
projects have the right facilities to
offer people coming off the streets
the best chance of recovery.
Continue our lobbying and
campaigning by:
• Keeping the rise in rough sleeping
on the public and government
agenda.
Our No More Appeal aims to
raise £1 million to support our work.
Please join us in saying No More.
A St Mungo’s outreach worker
offers support to a rough sleeper
By making a donation today you could prevent another person from sleeping rough.
£15 could help continue our work with young people offering education and work opportunities, giving them the
chance of a future free of homelessness.
£25 could help prevent homelessness through our new HOPE pilot team, providing advice and coaching to
people before they reach crisis point.
£50 could pay for LifeWorks counselling sessions, our unique service that helps vulnerable people address issues
that can be both the cause and the effect of homelessness.
£150 could help support some of the thousands of people we help every week through our community and
mental health services.
9
WHY I SUPPORT ST MUNGO’S
LETTER FROM THE FRONTLINE
Letter from
the frontline
Ruth Legge, Prison & Post Release
Support Worker, HMP Holloway
For our last Rebuilding Shattered Lives theme, we
looked at ‘Women involved in the criminal justice system’.
Here, Ruth tells us about her work supporting women at
HMP Holloway, where she has worked for the last four years.
I’m based in the resettlement unit
within the prison, which deals with
every area of resettlement for the
women – from support with housing
and domestic violence issues, to help
finding work.
up these links to ensure the women
get the support they need.
About 50% of my time is spent
sorting out existing tenancies so the
women have a home to return to
when they leave prison. Where
appropriate, I also help clients give up
tenancies and arrange for their
belongings to be stored.
“There are lots of
challenges, but I
love everything
about my job,
especially when I
see the difference
we’re making to
women’s lives.”
The other half of my time I’m
working with women who are
homeless to help them find
accommodation. This can include
mediating between them and their
families so they can return to the
family home. I’m in regular contact
with a number of organisations such
as social services, other homelessness
agencies, and also landlords and
solicitors. It’s really important to build
It‘s tough for our clients. They are
dealing with some very
complex issues. A lot of the
women I work with have substance
use issues or mental health problems,
or very often both. Sadly, when they
don’t get the right support, some
women can be liable to re-offend.
This is especially the case for those
with drug issues, who can struggle to
sort out their addictions when they
don’t have a place to live.
It’s becoming much more difficult to
secure social housing so we have to try
and be flexible and look at alternatives,
like the private rented sector. However,
some landlords won’t rent to prison
leavers. The new shared housing rule
for under 35s also makes things hard.
If I’m trying to re-house someone who
has committed a violent offence it’s
not always appropriate for them to
share with someone.
There is also the issue with local
connection rules which means
councils have to send people back to
the borough they are from. This can
put them back on the wrong path
and back to old problems which may
have led to them being sent to prison
in the first place.
There are lots of challenges, but I love
everything about my job, especially
when I see the difference we’re
making to women’s lives.
I recently moved a lady into a project
in Canterbury. Her grandmother and
her mother were both sex workers
and drug users and she had got
caught up in that lifestyle too. She
was always in and out of prison.
But things are looking up for her now.
She’s in her own flat. She’s attending
Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics
Anonymous meetings and receiving
counselling. Of her own accord she
found a charity that teaches floristry,
and has joined up to the course so
she can learn a skill and hopefully
support herself in future. It’s
successes like these that really
make my job worthwhile.
Why I support St Mungo’s
Without the ongoing help of you, our supporters, we
wouldn’t be able to make such a massive difference to the
lives of so many people. We would like to say a great big
thank you to each and every one of you.
Here are a few of the reasons you have
told us why you support our work:
“We are aware of the plight of the
homeless – the dangers, the sadness,
and what you do to give shelter, hope
and guiding those who can enter a
new life, is wonderful.”
Mr & Mrs Richard Cutler, London
“I have huge admiration for the work
you do and great sympathy for people
who find themselves in need of your
support. My ‘mantra’ has always been
‘There but for fortune go you or I.”
Mrs McFarling, Lincolnshire
“Without your help there would be so
much more homelessness.”
Mrs Anna Hefferon, London
“Having to sleep on the streets I have
always seen as the ultimate, degrading
misfortune. I chose to support
St Mungo’s in the first place because you
let clients keep their dogs. But of course
I admire your rehabilitation work.”
Mr George Hamish, Reading
“I train Listeners in Pentonville Prison
and they speak highly about
St Mungo’s. You provide essential
housing and accommodation for
offenders and it helps to keep down
re-offending. Thank you for your
hard and so important work.”
Carol, London
“I have great admiration for the work
you do especially helping people turn
themselves around.”
Mrs S Fletcher, West Sussex
Upcoming events
London to Oxford Cycle
Fancy yourself as the next Bradley Wiggins? Well now’s your
chance to prove it with a 60 mile bike ride though the English
countryside.
Virgin Active London Triathlon
Whatever your age and
ability, participate on the
largest triathlon in the
world at the Excel Centre,
London Docklands.
Ealing Half Marathon
Join 5,000 other runners in West London for the 2nd annual
half marathon around the closed off streets of Ealing.
Royal Parks Half Marathon
Run this beautiful
race in our
capital city.
Carol Concert Join us for our annual Carol
Concert.
Husky Challenge
Sled over 200km with
your own team of huskies
and live for a week as the
Laplanders do.
Virgin London Marathon
Take part in the iconic 26.2 mile race through the streets of
London for St Mungo’s.
Kilimanjaro Challenge
Can you conquer the highest
freestanding mountain in the
world and Africa's highest peak?
For more information, email [email protected], call 020 8762 5582 or visit www.mungos.org/events
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www.mungos.org
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Julie’s story
With no friends or family to turn to
for help, Julie* took to sleeping in a
local launderette as it was the only
dry, warm place that she could find.
Rough sleeping can be dangerous, and
particularly so for a single woman.
Julie’s path towards homelessness can
be traced back to 2008, when her
relationship with her partner broke
down after he was sent to prison.
“I couldn’t afford to keep the house on
my own, I was badly in arrears with my
rent and my drug use was spiralling with
all the stress. When the council evicted
me I had nowhere to go.”
At the age of 41, Julie felt she had no
other option but to sleep rough. Life
on the streets, Julie found, was not
easy. “It’s a lonely place to be, when
you’ve fallen that far, some people don’t
want to know.”
“A point came
where I thought
enough was enough;
when you finally get
rid of drugs you
realise you are free.”
Julie slept rough for over a year, at
which point she was found by an
outreach team. “I’m glad they did
because I was messed up with drugs and
drink at the time. I don’t know where I’d
be now if they hadn’t come along.”
The outreach team referred Julie to
St Mungo’s and she moved into one
of our women’s hostels. Since
becoming a St Mungo’s resident Julie
has received specialist support to help
her overcome the drug issues that she
has had for many years. “A point came
where I thought enough was enough;
when you finally get rid of drugs you
realise you are free.”
However, things took a turn for the
worse when Julie fell and hit her head,
leaving her hospitalised for several
weeks. Our hostel team were very
concerned for Julie and made it clear
they wanted her to also tackle her
drinking to improve her physical
wellbeing once back at the hostel.
Taking this firm stance has had good
results, and Julie has started to
participate in other activities at
St Mungo’s, including art classes and
reading groups. “It’s good because it
gives you something to do. I meet up
with people from a local church each
week who help homeless people too.”
Julie is making steady progress on her
road to recovery and in the future
hopes to have her own place and
support other people who have been
homeless.
“I’m lucky now
because I have a
roof over my head,
people treat me
with respect.”
“There needs to be more help for
people out there on the streets. I’m
lucky now because I have a roof over
my head, people treat me with respect”
says Julie.
*Julie’s story is a true one, but she requested that
we did not show her photo to protect her identity.
About Frontline
Frontline is produced in conjunction with staff
and clients at St Mungo’s. The aim is to keep
you informed of the issues that homeless
people are facing today, and to show you how
your support is making a difference. If you
have any comments or suggestions about
this or future issues, please send them to
Zoe Flynn at St Mungo’s, Griffin House,
161 Hammersmith Road, London, W6 8BS.
020 8600 3000
www.mungos.org/donate
Registered Charity No. 1149085
Company No. 8225808 (England and Wales)
Housing Association No. LH0279
Thank you to all the St Mungo’s residents,
volunteers and staff whose photographs and
histories appear in this publication.
© St Mungo’s 2013