Jeremy Swain

Jeremy Swain began working with homeless people in 1980, starting as a volunteer. After working in a variety of paid roles including as a street outreach worker he progressed to be Chief Executive of Thames Reach.

Thames Reach provides a range of services in London to over 7,000 people every year including street outreach, specialist accommodation for people with substance misuse and mental health issues, tenancy support projects, day services, health programmes and employment programmes. The organisation employs around 300 staff and 450 volunteers.  52 members of the salaried work-force are former homeless people. In 2016, Thames Reach achieved a top 100 ranking on the Sunday Times best not-for-profit organisations to work for list.

Jeremy is deputy chair of the London Housing Foundation which funds a range of different homelessness-related initiatives and a member of the London Mayor’s Rough Sleeping Group, tasked with reducing rough sleeping in the capital. He is also a board member of Homeless Link, the national body for homelessness organisations working directly with homeless people in England.

He chairs the Provider Alliance Group in in the London Borough of Lambeth which is overseeing the implementation of a major change in the delivery of mental health services in the borough focusing on early intervention and personalised, community support involving a range of organisations and individuals. 

He is a regular commentator on radio and TV on issues associated with homelessness, social exclusion and the work of the not-for-profit sector and is also an influential magazine columnist who has twice been short-listed for the Professional Publishers’ Association Business Columnist of the Year Award. Watch the interview or Read more about his Fellowship.