.jpeg?width=1200&auto=webp&crop=3%3A2)
Despite being the world’s sixth-largest economy, the UK has the highest rate of homelessness in the developed world. The number of English households in temporary housing more than doubled between 2010 and 2023 and now, in 2025, one in every 200 households in the UK experiences homelessness, a rise of four per cent over 2024.
It means the work of StreetSmart, the charity that raises money to help those living rough on the streets, is more important than ever before.
The charity’s latest campaign — its 27th — launches on November 1 at more than 600 restaurants across the country. StreetSmart’s fundraising is done simply and elegantly: a voluntary £1 is added to the bill at all participating restaurants, with every penny donated to charities working with the homeless. Last year, for the second year in a row, diners donated more than £1million to the cause, with the total raised since 1998 in excess of £15 million. StreetSmart’s crucial financial support from LandAid, the property industry charity, means that each £1 donation goes directly to where it’s needed, with no deductions.
As well as several restaurants that have raised funds since the beginning — including St John, River Café and the OXO Tower — this year a number of new spots are taking part. These include Lilibet’s, which recently had a rave, five star review in this paper, as well as One Club Row, Rosi in the Beaumont Hotel, Luke Ahern and Stevie Parle’s Motorino, and 74 Charlotte Street, the new opening with star chef Ben Murphy in the kitchen.
As well as the £1 drive, this year there will be a new StreetSmart toastie sold at Fortnum & Mason, details of which will be announced on November 4.
The chef Hélène Darroze, who has six Michelin stars to her name, said of the campaign: “For those of us fortunate enough to be able to pick and choose when and what to eat, StreetSmart is a way to support the people who simply don’t know where their next meal will come from.
“At a time when the world has felt more divided than ever, it has never been more important to look out for our most vulnerable neighbours.”
Jimi Famurewa, the former restaurant critic of this paper, added: “Each year, the UK’s best restaurants take part in StreetSmart to help those caught up in the misery of homelessness, and it remains a vital, simple way to pay the spirit and generosity of a great meal forward. The altruism of restaurateurs and their diners has helped make a lasting difference to so many lives.”
The fundraising campaign will run from November 1 until December 31.
For more information, visit streetsmart.org.uk and landaid.org
