By Rob Payne
The ability to close a door and sleep in peace was “heaven” for Tigist. One of many refugees referred to our homelessness programme, Tigist had been rough sleeping after having to leave Home Office accommodation, then managed to access a winter night shelter run by one of our partners. However, she found it difficult to sleep in the shelter due to the number of people there, and couldn’t hold back the tears when we met because of the leg pain caused by walking around in the cold every day while waiting for the night shelter to open in the evening.
It is heartbreaking to hear the desperation of some of the 100+ people who come to us for help every month — the high demand for housing means that we can’t help everyone as quickly as we would like. Many of those facing the challenges of homelessness are refugees, who often have only 28 days to find suitable accommodation before having to leave their Home Office housing.
Consider 24-year-old Abel, a refugee from Sudan. Referrals have been made to our supported housing partners and he is moving up the waiting list, but he is currently sleeping on the streets. He keeps calling, asking us not to forget about him, and we would love to be able to help him while he is waiting.
Would you like to help people like Tigist and Abel avoid the downward spiral of homelessness?
To help those who are waiting for housing, we are piloting the restart of the “Stopover” programme this summer, which would allow our clients to have a safe place to sleep for a few nights while they wait for suitable accommodation.
You can join us in our efforts.
Could you open your home for a couple of nights so that people we are confident would be good guests can stay somewhere safe and rest as we work with them to find more permanent accommodation?
To learn more about the Stopover programme, click here to sign up for an informational Zoom call on the 8th of July at 8 p.m., or visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Interested in being a host? Please use this link.
If you’re unable to host but still want to help, just £30 will pay for a night in a hostel for someone experiencing homelessness.
Click here to donate – just scroll to the bottom of the page.
