Thursday 10 October 2019 is World Homeless Day; an opportunity to draw attention to people’s needs locally and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness.

Cambridge is marking this day with the launch of Street Support Cambridge and the wider It Takes A City (ITAC): Cambridge Homelessness Partnership.

Cambridge’s journey started with the Homelessness Summit in November 2018. It was attended by some 150 people from across the Cambridge community.

Attended by people who had been homeless, business leaders, heads of colleges and schools, professionals, senior staff from local authorities and support agencies, and faith leaders, the summit began with a personal message from Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Less than one year on, seven Action Groups on key issues have developed to improve support for homeless people in Cambridge. This includes the Digital Action Group, which has worked to get Cambridge to join the Street Support Network, to make it as easy as possible for homeless people in Cambridge to find help and others to give help.

The launch event on Thursday 10 October 2019 will be held at The Gonville Hotel, (a key ITAC partner and funder of Street Support Cambridge). The event will celebrate the launch of the ITAC Partnership and Street Support Cambridge, update stakeholders on progress since the Summit, and activate stakeholders to continue to support Action Group activities and initiatives.

The It Takes a City team would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the team in Manchester – whose guidance, encouragement and ideas have been invaluable. This launch is only the beginning, and Cambridge can’t wait to be a big part of the Street Support Network!