CARITAS ANCHOR HOUSE JOINS THE LONDON HOMELESS COLLECTIVE
We are proud to have joined The London Homeless Collective (LHC) – a movement of 23 charities that help people experiencing homelessness in London.
The LHC’s member charities reflect London’s rich tapestry; some are household names working across our city while others are much smaller and local or specialise in supporting specific groups. Regardless of our size, we believe that by collaborating – sharing our ideas, experience and opportunities – we can achieve our collective ambition of ending homelessness in London.
In November, the Evening Standard and the Independent launched ‘The Homeless Fund’ to raise funds and awareness on behalf of the London Homeless Collective to help tackle the homelessness crisis in our city. The campaign will run for the next two years and is their most ambitious ever. To support the campaign, pick up a paper or visit the Evening Standard website.
Here is our letter, published in the Evening Standard:
Dear London,
We are in a crisis.
The charity Shelter warns that some 170,000 people are homeless in London today. That is 1 in 53 people in this city who do not have a safe and secure place to call home.
We can all see the problem on our streets. Official statistics show the number of rough sleepers grew 18% last year alone. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. What is not seen is the ‘hidden homeless’, those who have no home but often do not show up in official figures.
How many young people sleep on night buses? How many women stay in abusive relationships because the alternative is the streets? How many people in your workplace sofa-surf to make ends meet?
Faced with a crisis of such a scale, we know a new approach is needed. Volunteers, donors, charities and Local and Central Government are all working hard but, clearly, more needs to do more. That is why many of London’s homeless charities have now banded together to address this problem head on.
The London Homeless Collective is a movement of 23 charities and counting.
We are all committed to ending homelessness in London and recognise that we and the communities we serve have a better chance of achieving this if we work together.
Today we launch our appeal with the Evening Standard. Over the coming months we will together seek to address the worst elements of this crisis.
First we are putting the spotlight on homeless women, who are some of the most vulnerable people in our society. With higher levels of poor mental health than homeless men, and often extensive experiences of physical and sexual violence and abuse, their vulnerability is relentless.
By working together we know can make a tangible, measurable, difference to homeless women in London. But to succeed we need your help.
Please join with us and the Evening Standard in doing what we can to tackle this problem. London’s homeless need you.
Thank you for your support.
The London Homeless Collective
999 Club; Albert Kennedy Trust; Barons Court Project; Caritas Anchor House; Centrepoint; Church Army; The Connection at St Martin’s; Depaul UK; Evolve Housing & Support; Glass Door Homeless Charity; Homeless Action in Barnet; Homeless Link; Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness; Look Ahead; New Horizon Youth Centre; Shelter; Single Homeless Project; Spear Housing Association Ltd; The Big Issue Foundation; Passage; The Salvation Army, West London Mission; YMCA England & Wales.