Helen is the national rough sleeping specialist advisor working as part of the homelessness specialist advisor team. Her role is to offer support to local authorities and their partners to tackle and prevent rough sleeping, in particular by destitute economic migrants.

In 2010 she jointly published a guide to meeting the emotional and psychological needs of homeless people, with the National Mental Health Development Unit, followed up in 2012 with an operational guide to developing psychologically informed services for rough sleepers and young people

Helen was previously the Housing Initiatives Manager for Portsmouth City Council, from where she was seconded to the Government’s Rough Sleepers Unit for 18 months until March 2002.

She has worked in housing for the London Boroughs of Camden and Kensington and Chelsea, and was a development officer with Community Housing Association in London. She has been a regional Board Member for the Guinness Trust and was chair of Medina Housing Association until March 2003.

She is currently a public governor for the NHS Southern Foundation Trust and a trustee of the Real World Trust, an accommodation and support provider on the Isle of Wight.

Helen was awarded the MBE in 2002 for her work with homeless people.