‘Local services are vital’: Former rough sleepers on what helped them off the streets

Martin Fletcher at the building occupied by the Basis Sunderland housing charity before it closed down in July because of a lack of funds. Photograph: Mark Pinder/The Guardian

Martin Fletcher had been homeless for more than 20 years after being made redundant before he finally got accommodation in Sunderland in 2024.

What was the one thing that finally ended his rough sleeping and sofa surfing? “My mindset, mainly,” the 61-year-old said. “The realisation that I was getting old and I couldn’t live like this for ever. And also help from a charity who didn’t judge, who didn’t bombard me with forms – they made me a cup of tea and built up a picture of what I needed and helped me get back on track.”