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Taking frontline voices to the Labour Party Conference
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Taking frontline voices to the Labour Party Conference

Taking frontline voices to the Labour Party Conference

Friday, October 2, 2026

St Martin’s Charity CEO, Duncan Shrubsole has been at the Labour Party Conference this week, taking part in conversations around housing, homelessness and what it takes to end rough sleeping.

Duncan began the day with a discussion on the importance of supported housing, before joining colleagues from across the homelessness sector and Paula Barker MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Homelessness.

He also listened to Andy Burnham set out his vision in his speech to the Labour Party Conference, including ending rough sleeping, building more council homes, tackling bad landlords and poor-quality housing, leasehold reform, helping young people get education and jobs, sorting social care, and seeing and valuing vital frontline workers.

Bringing the frontline perspective

Earlier in the week, Duncan joined Homeless Link for a discussion on what it will take to end rough sleeping. This brought together experts from across the sector to explore the pressures facing frontline services, including high caseloads, restricted pay and the risk of burnout, as well as what government can do to address them.

Duncan shared insights from the frontline workers we work with through our Frontline Network and our Annual Frontline Worker Survey. As he put it: “We know that frontline workers are doing a huge job. They are key. They know what needs to be done to help individuals and to change the system.”

Watch Duncan's reflections from Labour Party Conference below.

A visit to The Independence Initiative

Duncan also visited The Independence Initiative in Liverpool, meeting CEO Jim Brett and Deputy CEO Paulene Connell, as well as people who have benefited from their accommodation and support.

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity has supported The Independence Initiative via the Access to Accommodation Fund to convert three rooms, helping more people access a place to call home. Duncan described the visit as a privilege, and said: “I could see the difference it makes to have a place to call home and the opportunity to build anew.”

The visit was a reminder of why these conversations matter. Alongside political leadership and action on housing and homelessness, people need the right accommodation, skilled and experienced frontline workers, and the support needed to build a life away from homelessness.

As Duncan said at the conference, ending rough sleeping cannot be the end of the conversation. Rough sleeping is just “the tip of the homelessness iceberg”, and we also need to look at temporary accommodation and people experiencing hidden homelessness.

At St Martin’s Charity, we will continue bringing the experiences and expertise of frontline workers into these conversations.

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