Written by Dave Chuck – Founder
HISTORY
Following a period of homeless on the streets myself back in the 1980’s Dave joined and worked with a local Church Soup Kitchen in 1992 and worked alongside various other charities counselling, Street Pastoring and Community Pastoring and helping those in crisis in many other roles.
More recently following over a decade and a half of serving the homeless in Romford working as a Pastor with YMCA and latterly working with The Salvation Army over many years I found myself moving onto new territory.
FAMILIAR WORLD
In this all too familiar world with a new feel to it and a gap in Romford agencies provision serving the homeless on our streets.
We (a number of volunteers and myself created a new Charity Street Sleepers Support (Romford).
EVERYONE IN
Around the beginning of COVID and the Government EVERYONE IN programme which temporarily housed around 2200 London street homeless including many in Romford. Many were distributed in hostels and bed & breakfast the numbers decreased leaving around 3500 on the street.
THE SOURCE
For a while I worked with the Barking Homeless Centre, the Source, where today they still serve 150+ lunches every weekday.
STREET SLEEPERS SUPPORT SETUP
Then in Romford, following COVID with no one else serving the street homeless on the street — we setup our own charitable organisation ‘STREET SLEEPERS SUPPORT (ROMFORD). By investing my redundancy sum from Salvation Army to continue working for all in need alongside many of the public and charitable organisations supporting the homeless in different ways Street Sleepers Support was established.
In addition we are working with LBH Housing, Food Banks, the Police, BID and Street Pastors and the Churches amongst others identifying where and when people need help, not just on the street.
Romford Baptist Church
We were welcomed in our current base by Romford Baptist Church where our teams prepare clothing, toiletries, BIBLES and more to be taken out on to Romford Streets with packed lunches where we find the Street Sleepers.
When we meet them, we signpost them into housing or alternatives as those such as asylum seekers and second time homeless amongst many do not fit the statutory criteria for immediate or temporary housing/benefits.
We also chat with them PRAY with them if they wish and generally provide the reassurance of regular care, attention, and love.
In the current procedures for housing those who are homeless – the route for even those eligible is via a booked visit from London Street Rescue and the allocation of a CHAIN homeless database number helping to gain accommodation via the official routes although LBH Housing has established a Drop In Wednesday lunchtimes in the Hope Café to register and help new rough sleepers. We continue working with those on the street/ newly homeless/refugees and those in crisis with the numbers sadly ever increasing.
A recent report from Shelter highlights that there are now more people homeless across London than prior to COVID and numbers are increasing. Also in Billericay and Southend even in my own experience where I work with the homeless outside Romford each week.
OUR SUCCESSES
Our Charity SSS – Street Sleeper Support (Romford) has around 36+ volunteers many who I have been working with from previous organisations I have been working and serving weekday lunchtime (eventually to be 7 days a week) and are finding an average of extra newly homeless or in crisis daily.
Many are now housed since we began in October 2020.
Some I have transferred them willingly to be housed with Hope three 16 in Southend a Christian Housing Charity (where I also work) and where it is financially advantageous.
Over the past years we have started distributing lightweight (coffee mug sized) silver foil coated/orange plastic sleeping bags – which can be slept in thus saving lives – and can be used to waterproof cheap sleeping bags and we continue to improve our response to those in need in every way we are able.
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
An example of our clients is a driver from Romford, a middle-aged man who left prison after many years and couldn’t get accommodation or even a doctor.
His words were:
I would be better heaving a paving slab through the shop window and being back in prison with a roof over my head and being fed.
His level of desperation was extreme. A long way down the road after this he became a volunteer with us for a year – but due to noisy drug addicted people sharing the house he was in – he fell back into drinking. After another year+ of support we managed to help this become resolved and he is now working and happy.
Similarly another middle aged man in a toxic relationship with his girlfriend also using heroin and alcohol. After two decades of this he was on high levels of daily drug and alcohol use.
After years of work, we managed to help him leave the drugs behind and gain his own accommodation– 3 years later he is living independently with no addictions – well I say none – he will live day by day fighting this for the rest of his life.
REHAB
As we are a charity can also refer to other reputable charities and Rehab for instance is vastly more effective (98% success at Teen Challenge). Some of our clients are going through this successfully I am pleased to say and now also using Trauma Informed Therapy which offers an alternative for some to medicated Rehab.
We also work alongside many other charities offering support with mental health to dementia and much more besides.
THANKS – DONATIONS – WORKING ON SMALL BUDGETS
We are able to help many who are now surviving solely thanks to the many donations of items and money especially from the Romford Rotary Club, the Oak Foundation and the Romford Baptist Church and its congregation.
We always need men’s socks, pants, t-shirts and knitted hats – but as we have no storage in Romford we have to limit what we take – but everything received finds a good needed home.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE STREET SLEEPERS
If you see or know a Street Sleeper in Romford please feel free to provide them food, refreshment (not money please) or ring us and leave a message giving a description, preferably a name and their location and we will try to help them.
YOU CAN VOLUNTEER TOO
Next what we need for a sustainable future is more of everything – financial donations, funding streams (we receive no government or Council money), publicity of the work we are doing, and continuing support and donations towards our workday in and day out.
Long term we continue to seek free, local storage to house our daily support of clothing, toiletries, bedding and more.
I addition we aim to find a centre we can work out of and invited the homeless into for support and meals.
As the work increases so our need for more support.
Should you be willing to support us with support, time or little or large donations– please feel to drop in and visit, join us or contact us.
Thank you to all.
Street Sleepers Support Romford 