Our history

1969: St Mungo's begins in a house run by volunteers in Battersea, which was opened to rough sleepers, with a soup run operating from the kitchen. Its founder, a Glaswegian, took the name St Mungo's from the patron saint of his native city, although the organisation is not religious

1970s: St Mungo's gradually expands, opening large hostels in disused buildings in London and smaller supported houses

1981: We become the first organisation to introduce planned resettlement by setting up a dedicated team

1984: We open our first residential care home for frail elderly men

1986: We launch STEPS (Skills, Training, Employment and Placement Service) as the first comprehensive programme of work and training for homeless people in Britain

1989: We launch National Sleep Out Week to raise funds, attracting media attention and celebrity support. We also open our first winter shelter, pre-dating government action in this area by two years

1990: We launch the first Clubhouse in Britain, a work-based project for people with mental health problems; there are now over 30 in the country

1992: We open our first specialist hostel solely for mentally ill rough sleepers, funded by the Government

1995: We open our first specialist hostel solely for rough sleepers who drink heavily, one of only two in London

1996: The first asylum-seekers hostel in Britain is opened by us

1997: We open the only specialist hostel solely for elderly rough sleepers

1998: We begin running our first day centre

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