Next time the bill arrives at your favourite restaurant, look for a small extra line: a voluntary £1 donation. It’s StreetSmart’s 2026 campaign, which started on November 1 and runs until December 31, and it aims to raise money to prevent and tackle homelessness, from rough sleeping to housing insecurity among young people.
Now in its 29th year, the StreetSmart scheme asks participating restaurants, including some in Manchester, to add a £1 donation per table to diners’ bills. Giving is optional, so you choose whether to contribute. LandAid, the property industry charity working to end youth homelessness, fully funds the scheme, so 100% of donations go directly to frontline projects, with nothing deducted for campaign costs.
Where the money goes
Funds stay in the communities where they are collected. Donations raised by restaurants in the North East, for example, support local projects across that region. Since it launched in 1998, StreetSmart has raised over £16.2 million, helping charities provide meals, emergency accommodation, healthcare, training, housing advice and routes towards a permanent home.
The need is clear. Government figures show that 123,000 young people aged 18-25 are currently at risk of being without a home, and the LandAid partnership funds projects across the UK to support them.
Luke French, owner of Joro in Sheffield, spent his early years in supported housing. “Supported housing is about so much more than putting a roof over someone’s head – it provides stability, security, hope and the opportunity to build a better future,” he says.
Mark Birchall, chef at three-Michelin-star Moor Hall, which takes part every year and less than an hour from Manchester, calls the £1 “a small contribution which can make a huge difference”.
Which Manchester restaurants are taking part in StreetSmart?
Participating cities and regions are Bath, Bedford, Berkshire, Birmingham, Brighton & Hove, Bristol, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Cornwall, Cumbria, Dorset, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Liverpool, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxfordshire and Yorkshire. The campaign is open to restaurants, pubs and hotels of all sizes, and organisers hope to build on the money raised in 2025.
Manchester restaurants taking part in the StreetSmart campaign include:
- Tampopo: Albert Square, Manchester City Centre
- Tampopo: Corn Exchange, Manchester City Centre
- Stretford Canteen, Stretford
- Banyan, Corn Exchange
- Blue Eyed Panda, Ancoats
- Manahatta, Deansgate
- Hache, Urmston
- San Carlo Gran Cafe, Selfridges, Manchester City Centre
- San Carlo Bottega, Selfridges Manchester City Centre
- Lina Stores, Manchester City Centre
- Ezra & Gill, Hilton Street, Manchester City Centre
- Ezra & Gill, Peter Street, Manchester City Centre
- Bar Posie, Manchester City Centre
- Erst, Manchester City Centre
- Hawksmoor, Manchester City Centre
- Proloco, Ancoats
- Sampa, Manchester City Centre
- Counter, Manchester City Centre
- Arcadian, Didsbury
You can find the full list of participating venues, funded projects and partners on the StreetSmart website.
