10 October is World Homeless Day, a day to reflect on how we can all work to ensuring that everyone has a safe place to live.

Homelessness can look like many things – sleeping rough on the streets is just one part of the issue. While rough sleepers in our communities are a public signifier of the housing crisis, they do not represent the full picture.

In addition to rough sleeping, homeless people can be in temporary or unsatisfactory housing situations. They might be sleeping in a car, on a friend’s sofa, staying in a violent relationship as an alternative to being homeless or constantly moving between places. These are all experiences of homelessness. Read the Government’s definitions of homelessness and threatened homelessness.

We are not a charity solely for those experiencing homelessness however the issue drives our work with many guests. We advocate for those experiencing housing threat or loss; we aim to encourage agencies to collaborate effectively to find suitable housing solutions for guests.