Our partnership with St Mungo's

Donate your commute to end homelessness

This week, to mark one year working from home (for many of us), we are asking the LSE Community to ‘Donate your Commute’ to end homelessness. If you’re now working or studying from home because of COVID-19, there’s one plus side: you’re likely saving a fair bit of money on travel. An average of £5-£7 per day, actually.

Donating 1 day, 1 week or 1 month of commuting costs could transform someone's life.

Donate your commute

£5 - Could pay for a hot meal for a homeless person. A warm, nutritious meal can be the first step on the path to a fresh start.

£10 - Could pay for essentials like toiletries and bedding for someone in one of St Mungo's hostels.

£25 - Could pay for someone to get a health check OR could provide clothing for a rough sleeper identified by an outreach worker.

£50 - Could provide a bed, warm meal and staff support for a person found on the street.

Your gift will help to transform the lives of people experiencing homelessness. People with mental and physical health needs. People on the road to recovery.

Join LSE's Virtual 10K!

LSE and LSESU are hosting their inaugural Virtual 10K challenge. To complete the challenge, you must run, walk or roll 10km on Sunday 25 April 2021. This event is open to all LSE students, staff, faculty, alumni, and friends/family!

Sign up here

LSE was founded in 1895 by the Fabians “for the betterment of society.” The LSE Homelessness Partnership (LSEHP) was established in 2020, in collaboration between LSE, LSE Students’ Union (LSESU) and St Mungo’s, on the 125^th  anniversary of the School’s foundation and in the spirit of the School’s founding principle.

The LSEHP acknowledges homelessness to be among the most visual and acute of local societal problems, with the School’s campus physically based within the two local authorities with the highest rough sleeping population in the UK – Westminster and Camden.

The LSEHP also acknowledges the significant amount of goodwill and activity undertaken by students and staff within the LSE Community on the issue of homelessness.

The LSEHP’s mission is to lead and empower the LSE community to play a meaningful, active and leading role in:

• Alleviating homelessness in the local community
• Efforts to end homelessness in society

It aims to do this whilst ensuring that:

• All LSEHP activities are informed by those with a lived experience of homelessness
• All LSEHP activities exist first and foremost to help people experiencing homelessness and/or to help advance work that will seek to end homelessness in society
• All LSEHP activities have embedded in them opportunities for both student and staff involvement
• Students and staff are given space to innovate, initiate and lead on homelessness projects
• LSE’s approach to homelessness in and around its campus is undertaken with sensitivity and compassion

LSEHP is divided into 5 streams. Each stream is co-led by someone from LSE and someone from LSESU. The Homelessness Partnership has oversight by the Homelessness Partnership Steering Group which is Chaired by the SU General Secretary and the Deputy Chief Operating officer. All Stream leads are members of the Steering Group alongside representatives from the School and the SU.

Research Stream

Objective:

To link St Mungo’s sector-leading expertise and experience with LSE’s world-class research resources in order to:

Contribute ideas and solutions to the complex issues surrounding homelessness with the aim of working towards the goal of a society without homelessness.

Provide research and careers opportunities for students

Contacts:

LSE Stream Lead: Professor Christine Whitehead - Deputy Director, LSE London

LSESU Stream Lead: Ed Hall (Activities and Development Officer)

Volunteering Stream

Objective:

To encourage, support and provide opportunities for homelessness-volunteering activity through St Mungo’s and the LSE Volunteer Centre.

Contacts:

LSE Stream Lead: Dave Coles – Volunteer Centre Manager

LSESU Stream Lead: Faiso Kadiya (Community and Welfare Officer)

Fundraising Stream

Objective:

To encourage and support activities led by LSESU’s Raising And Giving (RAG) Society, LSE’s philanthropic arms and St Mungo’s fundraising division in helping to raise money for homelessness-related activities

Contacts:

LSE Stream Lead: Martha Forsythe - Foundation Partnerships Manager, PAGE 

LSE Fundraising Co-Lead: Sophia Dangelico – Event Manager, PAGE

LSESU Stream Lead: Michelle Soh (RAG President)

Security Stream

Objectives:

To provide LSE’s Security staff with the requisite support and training to enable them to engage with the local homeless population on campus with confidence, respect and sensitivity

To review LSE’s security policies and procedures in order to ensure that, wherever possible, they are designed and enacted with respect for the local homeless population on campus

Contacts:

LSE Stream Lead: Allan Blair – Director of Facilities

LSESU Stream Lead: James Hann – Chief Executive

Communications Stream

Objectives:

To support LSE, LSESU and St Mungo’s communication on all matters pertaining to the LSEHP with the express objective of achieving joined up messaging that is both consistent and in line with the existing values of the three LSEHP partners and in line with the LSEHP Mission Statement

To seek to maximise opportunities for positive communication, ensure two-way dialogue, promote whole-School engagement and to jointly co-ordinate responses to risks or issues

To develop a wider platform for discussion beyond the campus around the complex issues surrounding homelessness including, but not limited to, via conferences, public events and research papers

Contacts:

LSE Stream Lead: Imogen Withers – Director of Communications

LSESU Stream Lead: Freda Chisambi – Head of Communications & Marketing