WELCOME TO OUR NEW MAYOR OF NEWHAM

On the May 4th 2018, Rokhsana was elected as the new Mayor of the London Borough of Newham, achieving 73% of the vote. Her appointment marks the first directly elected female mayor for any London borough. She has succeeded Sir Robin Wales, the longest-serving mayor in the country, who was in post for 16 years.

Rokhsana has taken on this role at a critical time. The London Borough of Newham has been labelled a ‘national homelessness hotspot’. Here, one in every 25 people do not have a home – the highest level of homelessness in the country. Furthermore, Newham has the third highest unemployment rate in London at 8.6%.

Your Place is the main provider of services for single homeless adults in Newham, and demand for our services is higher than ever before. We do more than simply put a roof over people’s heads. Our driving mission is to ensure that those who walk through our doors grow in confidence and move towards leading independent, fulfilling lives.

Amanda Dubarry, Chief Executive of Your Place, said, “We’re pleased to hear that the Mayor’s priority for the borough will be housing, with a commitment to build further homes at social rent levels, and on long-term tenancies.

“What we’re most excited about is her commitment to ‘tackle homelessness with compassion and care, so that the homeless are housed in Newham’.”

We look forward to working together with the Mayor to support people to move on from homelessness onto their next chapters.