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Cambridge — a city where everyone has somewhere to call home

Today Cambridge is recognised as being a very unequal city, with issues concerning homelessness high on the agenda. The Charter’s aim is to work with local priorities to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring.

Support the Charter

What is the Charter?

The Charter is a movement hosted and facilitated by It Takes A City (Cambridge) which represents a broad group of stakeholders — voluntary section organisations, local authorities, businesses, universities and colleges — all sharing the same goal of ending homelessness in Cambridge. We recognise that a lot of great work has been done in Cambridge over the past few years, yet we cannot see a significant decline in the number of people experiencing homelessness. Therefore, we need a fresh impetus to work towards ending homelessness, making it rare, brief, and non-recurring.

Why do we need it?

Cambridge is recognised as a dynamic and prosperous city: Europe’s largest technology cluster, home to world-class universities and a target for government investment, with numerous new homes being built.

So, why are so many people in temporary accommodation, sleeping rough or homeless, with nowhere to call home? Shockingly, people experiencing homelessness in the UK have an average age of death of just 47 for men and 43 for women.

We cannot rest easy while poverty rubs shoulders with such wealth. Homelessness represents a fracturing of society, broken communities and huge inequalities. We all have a part to play to do something about it — and it can be ended.

Below are two real-life stories of people on the journey out of homelessness.

Jackie’s Story John’s Story

How we work

We recognise that Cambridge is well served by many organisations delivering excellent work in support of people experiencing homelessness including emergency services, temporary and permanent housing, support, healthcare and employment outreach. These efforts are funded by Cambridge City Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, MHCLG, trusts, foundations and charitable donations.

Our aim is to partner with the city’s organisations to provide data and research, information, housing options, support, healthcare, and employment opportunities. To find out more, read our one-page call to action agreed by Collab Group.

If you are concerned about someone who is currently experiencing homelessness or sleeping rough you can find help at:

Street Support Cambridgeshire

How you can help

Ways to get involved

Sign up to support the Charter

Make your support public — as an individual or on behalf of an organisation

Join the Collaboration Group to be a part of shaping the changes needed to significantly reduce homelessness

Join the Movement

What’s the plan?

The Collaboration Group for the Charter has developed an overall plan for change based upon 6 Pillars of Change which are outlined below. Join one of the action groups linked to the pillar most relevant to you or your organisation.

Data

We must collect and utilise data to demonstrate progress and support evidence-based interventions which reduce homelessness.

 

Information

Two types of information are important: the first is information about progress that changes are making to reduce homelessness; the second is provision of information that will prevent homelessness occurring.

Housing

Which is about ensuring an adequate supply of appropriate housing so that everyone can have a place to call home.

Support

Which is about closing the many gaps in support experienced by people on their journey out of homelessness, so that the journey is sustained and the cycle of recurrent homelessness is broken.

Health

Because health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness are so much poorer than for the general population this is about ensuring that barriers to accessing services are eliminated and that improved service provision is delivered for people experiencing homelessness.

Employment

This is vital to a sustainable solution for people experiencing homelessness, and involves increasing opportunities for training (particularly accredited training); volunteering and paid employment.

The Challenges – John’s Story
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