World Homeless Day is a chance for us to come together to tackle the crisis of homelessness in our communities.
We want to keep reaching more people in need – but we can’t do it without your support.
We’ve challenged ourselves to raise £10,000 in 24 hours,so that we can continue to support people who find themselves without the safety and dignity of their own home.
Thank you for your support and making a difference.
Thank you for your support – it really means everything to our clients and to our teams on the frontline of the homelessness crisis.
Read below about how our teams at Julian House are equipped to offer people in crisis a route to something better.
Homelessness is a global crisis and a local one.
The South West has has the third highest rate of homelessness across the UK and this is growing every year- there was an 8% rise in rough sleeping in 2024.
Providing assertive outreach to rough sleepers
Jim and his team are on the front line, working on the streets ensuring anyone who has been forced to sleep rough understands the options available to come in.
His team are out on the streets all year round, connecting with rough sleepers and homeless people or those leading street-based lives, offering them food and hot drinks and helping them to navigate their own route to security and independence.
Six mornings a week, armed with flasks of hot drinks and snacks to offer people, our outreach team across the South West complete a lap of the city to check on those sleeping outside and remind them of the help that is on offer.
“In a broken system, we wear many hats; social worker, housing officer, mental health support, to be there for people in their moment of crisis.” Jim, Assertive Outreach Worker
However, our teams are already stretched thin, and our services are operating at capacity.
Manvers Street: Our emergency shelter in the city centre
Our off-the-streets hostel for people sleeping rough is a direct access facility which is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Each client is allocated a private ‘pod’ (sleeping space) and receives three meals a day, access to shower and washing facilities and wrap-around support from our team.
Manvers Street provides 20 pods for rough sleepers and in the last year it has been at 115% capacity with all available space given over to sleeping areas including in the communal area, in order to meet demand.
We ensure that people sleeping rough can come in and be welcomed by staff who are keen to support each person to recover from homelessness.
How hidden homelessness remains a forgotten crisis
Rough sleeping is the most visible side of homelessness that we can see, but the majority of homelessness remains hidden out of the public eye.
Hidden homelessness refers to people who may be considered homeless but whose housing situation is not ‘visible’ on the streets or in official statistics.
"It can be harder to have the same type of street contact but that doesn't mean that they are not there. They still need the same kind of support and we still need to liase with them on a weekly or daily basis." Dorset based outreach manager Chris.
Supporting veterans in our services
Before working at Julian House, Sabrina was a combat medic in the army for 24 years and then became a practice manager at medical centres where she saw soldiers coming in with significant physical and medical health needs.
Her personal experience in the army has shaped her understanding of the complexities of supporting veterans experiencing homelessness.
‘Having that understanding myself, being on operational tours as well as a medic you are on the frontline. So, you can understand the trauma that they have probably gone through because you have highly likely gone through the similar with them. For them to have someone saying I know what you're going through. I can help you out here. This is what we can do.’ Sabrina Allen, Supported Housing Worker at Julian House.
There are many routes into homelessness.
Our clients come to us with a range of experiences and trauma behind them. Our job is to help them get back on track and take the next steps towards independence and security.
We recognise the many routes to homelessness and social exclusion, so we deliver services which support people wherever they are in their journey
