Something important is shifting at Street Support Network. And it feels right to name it.

This week, our co-founder Gary Dunstan steps away from the organisation.

From the start, Gary gave his heart to this work. What began as a simple idea—making it easier for people to find help—grew into a national network that connects people, services and communities in smarter, kinder ways.

His clarity of purpose, commitment to collaboration, and deep care for the people behind the numbers have shaped everything we do.

More than that, Gary helped build the culture that holds us together. Practical, honest, values-led. Focused on doing what works—not what looks good on paper.

He’s leaving behind something strong. And he’s doing it with thoughtfulness and care, making sure the team is ready to step forward with confidence.

As Gary steps away, Matt Lambert, who has been serving as Managing Director for the past five months, now fully takes the reins to lead Street Support Network into this next chapter.

This is a moment of transition. But it’s also a moment of real gratitude—for everything Gary’s established, and everything we’ve built together.

Why We Do This Work

We believe that everyone has a right to have a home.

We exist to make sure people can find help when they need it—and to make it easier for the people on the frontline offering that help to do their jobs well.

We believe that better support starts with better connection. Between services. Between sectors. Between people.

That’s why we do what we do. Everything else—the tools, the data, the strategies—flows from that.

Clearer Direction, Stronger Focus

Street Support Network has always been about tackling homelessness. That’s not changing. But how we do it is evolving.

We’ve grown into a national network. We’re investing in digital tools. We’re shifting focus toward prevention, early access, and smarter support.

Under new leadership, we’ve been strengthening our digital capabilities and strategic positioning. We’re exploring critical connections between healthcare and homelessness, and working on regional strategies that align with the government’s devolution focus.

While our methods evolve, our why remains the same: no one should be cut. Everyone deserves support that’s easy to find and actually works.

This is the right moment to be clear about who we are now—and what we stand for.

Our Mission

We connect people, services and solutions to make homelessness support more effective.

That means:

• Helping people find the right support, quickly and locally.
• Helping organisations work better together.
• Using digital tools and real-time data to improve how the whole system works.

We call it Connecting Solutions. It’s what brings everything together.

A Strategic Partner for System Change

We’re not just helping people find support—we’re helping systems work better.

Street Support Network is now a platform for collaboration, prevention and smarter decision-making. We help local councils, Combined Authorities and frontline organisations get a fuller picture of what’s happening, understand where needs are rising, and take coordinated action.

Our development of a virtual assistant and through site data tools reflects this shift—creating smarter pathways to support and enabling more responsive, preventative approaches across regions.

By combining grassroots insight with digital tools and national learning, we’re becoming a key part of the infrastructure for tackling homelessness—practically, strategically, and at scale.

What We Stand For

Our work is still rooted in compassion—but these are the values we now lead with:

• Collaboration – We connect people and organisations around shared goals.
• Compassion – We build kindness and empathy into every interaction.
• Practicality – We focus on what works, not what looks good on paper.
• Adaptability – We stay flexible to meet changing needs and local realities.
• Honesty – We’re open and transparent in all that we do.
• Resilience – We keep going, even when it’s hard.

These values shape how we work, how we partner, and how we build change.

Looking Ahead

New leadership. New direction. New ways of working. But still the same core purpose: to help people. To help the helpers. And to keep pushing for a system that works better, earlier, and more humanely.

With this transition, we’re building on our foundations while embracing new opportunities. The development of regional strategies, cross-sector partnerships, and enhanced digital tools reflects our commitment to not just connecting people to services, but transforming how those services work together.

We’re stepping forward, together, into what comes next.

If you’ve worked with Gary and want to share a message, memory, or just say thanks—we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a note and we’ll make sure it reaches him.