How a former homeless man from Manchester helped build a community safety net


On Tuesday evenings, as the nights close in, a group of passionate Manchester residents get ready to head out into the city.

Hot drinks are poured, donated Pret baguettes are unwrapped, sleeping bags are handed out, and lives are touched by simple acts of kindness.

Behind this grassroots effort is the Manchester Street Team, an independent community initiative helping rough sleepers and vulnerable people find comfort and connection.

Manchester Street Team

Founded in October 2023 by Tobias Hunt, alongside volunteers Mindy and Leigh, the group has become a pillar of the community groups helping the homeless around the city.

Tragically, Leigh, who had once experienced homelessness himself, passed away not long after the group was founded.

His legacy lives on in the continued work of the team.

We spoke to one of the co-founders, Tobias, about how it all came about.

“I started it after volunteering for a year with Manchester’s Homeless Group,” Tobias explained.

“I started with Manchester Homeless Group, after seeing that there was a sizeable homeless community in Manchester. I often saw the same people on the street when I was out and about, and thought I should help.”

That instinct to help led him to the original Manchester Homeless Group in late 2022, but the desire to do more, and do it differently, sparked the creation of their own Tuesday night outreach.

“We help about 30-plus people every Tuesday evening with hot drinks, hot food, sandwiches, yoghurts, and baguettes from Pret,” Tobias said.

“We also give out sleeping bags, socks, underwear, and anything else we’ve had kindly donated to us.

“I’d say we help about 1,500 people a year.”

How many homeless people are in Manchester?

That number is striking, but still only scratches the surface of the crisis. According to Shelter, an estimated 8,138 people were homeless and living in temporary accommodation in Manchester in 2024, a sharp increase from 7,773 in 2023. It’s one of the highest levels in the UK.

Manchester City Council revealed that as of June 2023, 3,830 children were in temporary accommodation across the city.

What is causing the rise in homelessness?

Behind those statistics are a range of causes. Poverty, unaffordable housing, and insecure work are among the social drivers, while personal struggles like relationship breakdowns, mental health issues, or escaping domestic violence frequently push people onto the streets.

In Manchester, the top three causes of homelessness in the years before Covid were: Section 21 evictions, being asked to leave by family or friends, and domestic abuse.

And the consequences? They’re severe and deeply unfair.

The average age of death for a homeless man in the UK is just 46, and 43 for a woman, decades below the national average. Accessing health care is often impossible without a GP, and the longer someone remains homeless, the harder it becomes to break the cycle.

This is where groups like Manchester Street Team come in, not as saviours, but as people doing what they can to soften that cycle’s grip.

“When it comes to why we do it… I’ve found that Manchester’s homeless community are quite appreciative of what we do,” Tobias said. “That encourages me. I feel like I’m helping people who want to be helped, and who receive that help gracefully.”

There’s no big funding package, no corporate sponsor behind the project, just people giving what they can.

Volunteering with the Manchester Street Team

“People can get involved through Facebook,” Tobias said. “Normally, people message me. Or people on the street donate money. A friend of mine, her family donated £75 as part of Eid celebrations.”

It’s a simple system: volunteers sign up via Facebook, donate money, food, or supplies, or offer their time.

“You don’t have to come every week,” Tobias reassured.

“If you can only volunteer once a month, that’s still great. We’re flexible; if someone can’t make it until 7:15, we’ll push back. Or they can meet us en route.”

Accessibility means the group has drawn in people from all walks of life: students, retirees, professionals, all united by a shared determination to make a difference, however small.

But the origins of the group are also rooted in lived experience. “This was set up by a couple of us, including someone who used to be homeless,” Tobias explained. “Leigh, who I told you passed away, was homeless. He helped set it up.”

And maybe that’s what makes this group so resonant. It wasn’t born from a boardroom; it grew from the pavement, from people who know what it feels like to be overlooked.

The Manchester Homelessness Partnership

Still, the backdrop is sobering. The Manchester Homelessness Partnership has long warned that once someone is homeless, problems escalate quickly. Isolation can feed mental health issues. In turn, that can lead to substance use, further reducing someone’s chance of recovery and housing.

And yet, amid the rising numbers and shrinking safety nets, groups like Tobias’s persist, not with fanfare, but with focus. “Ultimately, the whole reason is just… I think we all want to do our bit and help,” Tobias said.

“And secondly, Manchester’s homeless community and the refugees are all very receptive and appreciative.”

Their efforts are not a solution to the homelessness crisis, but they are a reminder that humanity still thrives in the gaps. They can’t fix housing policy, but they can hand out socks. They can’t reverse austerity, but they can offer hot food and a kind word.

And on a Tuesday evening in Manchester, sometimes, that makes all the difference.

How you can help the Manchester Street Team

If you’d like to help, visit Manchester’s Homeless Group on Facebook to donate, volunteer or offer support.

You can find them here