Photo: Steve Hoey
Could you climb 100 hills in 365 days? The CEO of charity Turning Lives Around (TLA), Steve Hoey, is taking on this new challenge to raise awareness and funds for homelessness.
Mr Hoey is aiming to climb 100 hills this year and has so far completed 46. The money raised will support young people, vulnerable adults, children, and families facing homelessness.
He said: “The biggest thing for me is wanting to inspire my colleagues.”
He hopes to raise awareness of the growing problem of homelessness, as well as the issue of hidden homelessness.
Mr Hoey said: “People think that if they see someone begging on the street, then they’re homeless and that’s the homeless issue. But it’s not. You know, 80% of homelessness is completely hidden. You never see those people. So it’s not all about begging.”
As of December 2025, over 382,000 people were homeless in England according to Shelter, an 8% increase in one year.
He said: “There’s more and more people suffering from homelessness. So there’s more and more need for people to invest in the crisis intervention that we do, but also in the prevention stuff. So working with kids in schools to try and help them never get to that point of becoming homeless as a young adult.”
The average life expectancy for men who are homeless is 45, and just 43 for women according to ONS. TLA’s work includes helping people off the streets, operating a mental health facility, and supporting people into stable housing.
For people who want to help homeless people but struggle to know how, Mr Hoey said: “One thing is being kind to people on the streets, because they’ve got a pretty rubbish life. If people can just have a quick chat, see if they want a cup of tea or whatever. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. But just be human and be friendly.
“Support local charities, because they are the best-placed services and people to really help homeless people. Small, regular donations are really valuable to local charities.”
Mr Hoey’s challenge is not just limited to hills, and includes a few mountains too: “The most challenging ones were in the Cairngorms. There were three up there that were all over 1,000 metres, and it was really cold and snowy and windy, so they were pretty dramatic.”
Steve Hoey’s hikes have taken him all over the country (Photo: Steve Hoey)
He said the walks earlier in the year were wet and muddy but that was “all part of the fun”. A standout walk was reaching Simon’s Seat at Bolton Abbey which Mr Hoey said was a particularly enjoyable walk with his son.
On June 13, people are invited to join Mr Hoey on the Stoodley Pike Hike and you can sign up to join him here. You can donate to support Steve’s challenge here.
