We all want to end homelessness.

If everyone had a safe, stable and accessible home our society and economy would be much better off. Homelessness is awful for those experiencing it and their loved ones. Working to end homelessness is clearly the right thing to do.

But wishing for a better, fairer world can feel hopeless at times. Homelessness is constantly on the rise, with 10,053 people sleeping rough in the last year alone in London.

At the same time, support costs are rising rapidly under the cost of living crisis, squeezing budgets and making solutions ever more expensive.

When it comes to ending homelessness, it looks like the odds are stacked against us. But we can’t give up.

Through advocacy, we’re also working to tackle the structural issues of homelessness.

This compassion and hard work combined with ‘big-picture’ thinking brings us one step closer to ending homelessness in London.

But there’s still a missing piece to the homelessness puzzle: you.

How can I help end homelessness?

Homelessness is a big issue and it’s going to take all of us to tackle it properly. Here are some concrete ways you can make a difference to people sleeping rough and people at risk:

Support us: when you support The Connection, you can see the impact you’re making. Through our success stories to our impact reports, you can be sure that your time, money or effort is going to the right people.

Have a chat: Stopping to chat with someone sleeping rough, maybe getting them a cuppa or biscuit, can turn someone’s day around and make a valuable difference.

Of course, a chat won’t end homelessness by itself but making someone feel appreciated can be the self-esteem boost they need to seek out our services. This is one of the reasons we have outreach teams, to connect with people and encourage them to make a change.

Stay up-to-date:Once we understand a problem, we’re more likely to be motivated to help solve it. Having the right knowledge can also build confidence in your ability to take action. Here’s a good place to start.