I think she means the homeless hostels we have maybe? Homeless people are welcomed to sell Big Issue magazines which they can exchange for money for 1 night stays in hostels. They can buy a big stack of magazines for around £5 I think and sell them for £1 each on the street and use the money for temporary stays in hostels. The idea is that people are more likely to give money if they know this is where the money is going if they decide to donate a spare few pounds. The Big Issue is funded by charities. The hostels are really not nice places though, and many don’t use them if they’re obviously on drugs becaaue they’ll be turned away (because of kids there) and they sleep rough instead.

I usually give the money but tell them to keep the magazine so they can sell it again, and the magazine itself is full of resources like food bank info, donation centres, soup kitchens etc, citizens advice bureau numbers and places to help with benefits (which is ridiculous because you can only get benefits if you have an address).

Maybe Sophie means that - homelessness is a crisis in the UK but there’s a lot of work being done by kind people and volunteers. The system is broken but they’re working on it I think - a lot more needs to be done. It’s heartbreaking to see people sleeping outside in the cold, and I keep a bag in my boot that has hats, scarves and gloves etc to hand over if I see it