Our history

Single Homeless Project was founded in 1975 by six homeless men wanting an alternative to rough sleeping or staying in typical lodging houses or spikes. They sought an end to rough sleeping and an alternative to the Dickensian shelters then available for single homeless people in the UK.

Whilst Single Homeless Project has grown beyond recognition from those early days, these origins have continued to shape how we work and our vision of a society where everyone has a place to call home and the chance to live a fulfilling life.

The mid-1970s

Provision for single homeless people in the UK consisted largely of dormitory-style night shelters, typically accommodating (or ‘warehousing’) hundreds at a time. These were often run by the Salvation Army or Church Army, the state in the form of ‘resettlement units’, or local authorities.

The Sunday Times described a winter’s night in one of these shelters in the early 1970s:

“The Unit…packed in 1,100 bedraggled men. Each had a narrow bunk space, a thin mattress and a blanket. Most were chronically alcoholic; many had fleas or lice… They slept in eight noisy, dirty and often dangerous dormitories, each over 30 yards long…”

These relics of the Victorian workhouse era were impersonal and institutionalised, maintaining a chasm between service users and those in charge. The religious organisations that ran them would often compel residents to attend church services for their moral improvement, while state-run hostels required people to clean the buildings or do the laundry to earn the right to stay.

Single Homeless is founded

In 1975, one of our founders, Stuart Clarke, who had slept rough and stayed in most of the London shelters, managed to persuade a housing association to let him use a short-life property in Pimlico to house himself and five other homeless men, including Dennis Handfield, after whom one of our hostels in Camden was later named.

The Pimlico property was the foundation for what became Single Homeless Project. Single Homeless Project established itself in 1977 thanks to an Urban Aid grant. It became a registered charity, and Stuart Clarke became one of two paid employees, the other being John Sharman.

In the early 1980s, the Government announced the closure of the resettlement units and made funding available (The Hostels’ Initiative) to replace the large institutions with smaller hostels and supported housing projects. The argument for a more personalised, community-based approach to homelessness provision had been won.

Single Homeless Project was one of a new wave of homelessness charities pioneering ways of working based on small-scale, converted residential properties with single rooms instead of dormitories. This reduced stigma, granting residents control over their own space and providing a sense of ‘home’. Instead of ‘self-improvement’, support was focused on people’s rights and strengths, building the capacity to move on and live independently.

Single Homeless Project today

Single Homeless Project has become a significant service provider in London, growing to meet the needs of an ever-increasing number of single homeless people. We will continue to diversify our services and develop fresh approaches to make sure we always offer the Londoners we support the best possible chance to rebuild their lives, achieve independence, and embrace a brighter future. Our services now span the whole of London, and we reach 12,000 people every year.