Path Opens New House for Rough Sleepers in Plymouth
Cllr Chris Penberthy, Chris Coldrick - Path Chair of Trustees and Path Mars support workers at the new property
Plymouth homelessness charity Path, is proud to announce the opening of its third ‘MARS’ (Multi-Agency Rough Sleeper) House - a specialist supported property offering a safe and stable home for people who have been rough sleeping in Plymouth.
The property, purchased in December 2025, provides private en-suite rooms for residents who have faced the harsh realities of street homelessness, often alongside long-term health challenges, trauma, and multiple disadvantages. It represents a significant milestone in Path's work to ensure that Plymouth's most vulnerable people have access to the high-quality, person-centred housing they need to begin rebuilding their lives.
This project is commissioned by Plymouth City Council with funding from the government’s Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme(SHAP), alongside our own designated funds. The property has undergone essential safety works, accessibility improvements and careful furnishing to ensure it is welcoming, safe and ready to receive residents. Each resident will be supported by a dedicated worker to help them address the challenges they face and move towards longer-term housing and independence.
Becky Saxon, Head of Housing at Path, said,
"For many residents of our new house, this will be the first time in years that they have had a place of their own, somewhere they can begin to feel secure and rebuild their lives. This project reflects Path's commitment to working alongside partners to create genuinely life-changing housing opportunities for some of the most vulnerable people in our community."
The new accommodation is exclusively for people who have been sleeping rough. Residents are referred by Path’s rough sleeper outreach team, who meet individuals on the streets and support them to move into accommodation. The house offers private bedrooms including TV and kitchenette, a large shared kitchen-diner, a courtyard that will be furnished for use in warmer months, and shared laundry facilities.
On-site staff are present throughout the day, including a dedicated support worker who coordinates a programme of activities such as cooking, gardening, and budgeting sessions to help residents rebuild skills and confidence. The house is designed as the first step on a person’s journey from street homelessness to longer-term housing, with residents supported to move on to less supported accommodation or directly into private rented tenancies when they are ready. The ultimate aim is that people leave feeling safer, more confident, and able to maintain their own tenancy independently.
For one resident, the impact has already been profound.
Paul* came to Plymouth after his marriage broke down and, despite being free from drugs at the time, found himself homeless and facing trauma alone on the streets. After years of instability and drug use, meeting Path and moving into his new supported house has been a turning point: he has now been clean for three months and has a safe, warm place to come home to. With the support of the team at Path, who he describes as “brilliant”, Paul is rebuilding his confidence and looking to the future, hoping one day to work alongside Path and use his experience to help others.
Paul said, “If it wasn’t for them (Path) and this house, I’d probably be back on the streets living that life again. I don’t think I’d be where I am today.”
Path supported 421 people sleeping rough in Plymouth last year, meeting urgent needs and helping them take steps to move off the streets. Their three dedicated MARS houses now provide safe accommodation and intensive support for 20 people whose long‑term rough sleeping and highly complex needs mean they have very few other housing options.
Plymouth is experiencing a severe housing crisis, with the number of people sleeping rough having doubled since 2023. In 2024, Path helped almost 1,700 people facing homelessness across the city.
Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Housing, Communities and Cooperative Development, said “Solving the problem of rough sleeping takes more than just providing a door, a roof and a bed for people. The work that Path is doing in their MARS houses demonstrates that. To break the cycle of rough sleeping, people need the time and support necessary to help them maintain accommodation and thrive. I’ve had the privilege of meeting some of Path’s residents and team and have seen for myself the difference that is made in transforming lives. I would like to thank Path for everything they do in partnership with the Council and others to help tackle homelessness in Plymouth.”
Path's Rough Sleeping Service works at the frontline of this challenge, providing outreach, specialist support, and now a growing network of dedicated properties to help people off the streets and into stability.
For more information about Path’s work, please visit www.pathdevon.org
*Names changed to protect identity