Homelessness Sunday is more important than ever this year with homelessness charities across the board seeing dramatically increased demand for their services. Housing Justice is no different, with demand at the highest levels experienced in the 70 years since Housing Justice and its heritage organisations were founded.
We organise Homelessness Sunday on the Sunday before World Homeless Day each year, and this year’s Homelessness Sunday falls on 6th October. The theme is ‘Homelessness ends with Communities’ as the role that churches and communities play in ending local homelessness is vital.
Below you will find a range of resources to use if you are planning your own Homelessness Sunday Service either on 6th October or on another date of your choosing. These resources will be added to over the coming weeks and include pre-recorded prayers, hymns, homilies, Junior Church resources and much more.
Sign our open letter to the Government
We are writing to the Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary Of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review in October and the development of the new Homelessness Strategy.
Please add your name below if you would like to support our ask of increased support for rough sleepers and night shelters this winter.
Once signed, we will send a copy of this on your behalf to the Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP.
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Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP
Secretary Of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Marsham Street
Dear Secretary of State,
On Sunday 6th October, Churches across Britain will mark Homelessness Sunday. Many of those who stop to pause and pray, will be the same people who, a few short weeks later will form part of the army of volunteers who respond to homelessness in their communities in the coldest months, to save lives and to support people experiencing homelessness to live theirs to the full.
In England alone, non-commissioned, community-run night shelters provide more beds than London’s biggest hospital. It is the scandal of our age, in the sixth richest nation on earth that these beds will be full for the winter months.
We welcome your government’s commitment to get Britain back on track to ending homelessness. Community-based responses to homelessness will be integral to this, because as every person who has built a home for their family knows, we need a house to survive, but it is in communities in which we thrive.
Without working in a new way with community groups like the network of faith and community groups, night shelters, day centres and support groups, your government will not meet its commitment.
We ask you to work with us, because homelessness ends in communities.
As we approach the Comprehensive Spending Review and the development of the new Homelessness Strategy, we specifically ask that you;
• Work formally with night shelters, day centres and faith and community groups to develop the new, cross-departmental Homelessness Strategy.
• Replace the Night Shelter Transformation Fund with an Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund, to support and expand the vital work of these groups and empower communities to end homelessness in their areas.
• Mandate local authorities to work with these groups on the ground to develop their own strategies.
Yours sincerely,
Reading
Read Bishop John's Reflections on the Reading here:
Homelessness Sunday Reflections
Scripture Passages and Prayers
To help you mark Homeless Sunday 2024 we have prepared a selection of relevant passages and prayers here.
Hymn Suggestions
To help you mark Homeless Sunday 2024 we have prepared a selection of relevant hymns here.
Junior Church Resources
To help you mark Homeless Sunday 2024 we have prepared a selection of prayers and activities here.
How To Help People Affected By Homelessness
Got a spare room?
Find out more about hosting a destitute asylum seeker in your home in London or Wales.
Watch our hosting video here.
Find out more about renting your spare room in London to a refugee lodger here .
Got some spare time?
Could you consider volunteering for Housing Justice? Find out more about our Citadel programme in Wales here and our newly-launched Citadel programme in England here.
Does your Church have disused or derelict land?
We work with Churches who would like to address homelessness and local housing need by using their derelict or surplus land for affordable housing through our Faith in Affordable Housing programme. Find out more here about Faith in Affordable Housing in England and Wales.
Fundraising
There are a plethora of different ways that you can fundraise to support Housing Justice’s work – perhaps you could consider taking part in a Challenge Event or holding a sponsored event?
Considering leaving a legacy to Housing Justice in your will?
October is Free Wills Month and Housing Justice will be offering free wills to supporters who would like to leave a legacy to Housing Justice. You can find out more here
Here you can find a range of resources about responding to local housing need.
Futher Reading
The Archbishop’s Commission on Housing, Church and Community was launched in April 2019 with the ambitious remit of re-imagining housing policy and practice. You can read their report ‘Coming Home’ here.
‘More than bricks and mortar’ is a resource from the Joint Public Issues team which gives key information, suggests action and provides questions for reflection.
‘A Place to Call Home‘ is a series of six Bible studies for group discussion around a range of housing issues.
Making a home: An independent research into Housing Justice Cymru’s Citadel Project and the importance of volunteers. is a recent qualitative study about our Citadel project, highlighting the impact of volunteers.
Charter For Christian Homelessness Agencies
Facts & Figures
Rough Sleeping -the numbers
Information sheet about families and children affected by homelessness
Compared to the general public, people sleeping rough…
- are almost 17 times more likely to be a victim of violence
- die 30 years younger on average
- The average life expectancy for men sleeping rough is 47 and 43 for women
When growing up…
- 2/3 of people who sleep rough experienced violence between parents/carers
- Just under 60% had a parent/carer with a drug or alcohol problem
- About half have been sexually and/or physically abused
- 1/3 have been bullied or have been suspended or expelled from school
- 25% have been taken into the care of a council as a child or young person
- 1/4 were brought up in a workless household living on welfare benefits
- 15% reported that they often did not have enough to eat each day
England Figures
Government rough sleeping figures published in March showed an alarming rise of 27% in the number of people being forced to sleep on England’s streets since last year, with 3,898 people sleeping rough on a typical night last Autumn. This is an increase of 120% since records began in 2010.
Each year, local authorities carry out a physical count of rough sleepers on a particular night and the Government uses these figures to arrive at a single figure for the number of people sleeping rough on a ‘typical’ night. This year’s data paints a grim picture with numbers rising for the second year in a row.
Rough sleeping has increased in every region of England compared to last year, with the largest increase in London where there were 1,132 people in 2023 compared to 858 people in 2022 – an increase of 274 people or 32%.
Wales Figures
Here you can read the latest homelessness figures for Wales.
Further Information
For those who wish to do more
Submit your details below and we’ll send you practical information about how you and others in your network can help those in need.
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