The streets of London are not paved with gold. At least, not for the 8,096 individuals known to be sleeping rough on cold concrete every year. The 21 century tragedy that is homelessness is rising in England’s capital, with a 15% increase in the number of long-term rough sleepers. That figure was taken from the last year alone, though these rough sleepers aren't statistics. They are people; which is why communities all across London are urgently being called upon to band together to find a solution.
Thanks to Sadiq Khan, London’s Mayor as of May 2016, there is now a renewed focus on rough sleepers in London. Khan has launched the No Nights Sleeping Rough homelessness prevention task force and has committed himself to tackling the housing crisis, which appears to be at the root of the homelessness problem.
One particular London borough is desperately feeling the harsh reality of a lack of affordable living. The butt of a joke in the Iron Man 3 movie, it is no laughing matter that Croydon, which includes my own hometown, has one of the highest numbers of people sleeping rough on London’s streets. Homelessness in the area has risen by 24% in the past three years and there are at least 51 individuals thought to be living there without a home.
Evolve Housing + Support, a homelessness and community support charity based in Croydon and working across London, has become increasingly concerned about this distressing situation – and a deadline has now been set to address it. The charity, in partnership with Crisis, Expert Link, Homeless Link and Thames Reach, is initiating an ambitious operation that aims to solve the borough’s chronic problem by the year 2020.
The CR Zero 2020 campaign, named for Croydon town’s postal code, shares the same community-centred premise as the European End Street Homelessness Campaign and is based on work that has taken place in the US. It is hoped that it will unite those working and living in Croydon with charities, the local government (Croydon Council has endorsed the campaign) and most importantly, with the borough’s rough sleepers.
“This campaign is hugely important for Croydon - it offers a unique opportunity to find new ways to help homeless people,” Jeremy Gray, Evolve Housing + Support’s CEO, stated. “Homelessness can happen to anybody and affects the entire community - this project offers local people the opportunity to end chronic street homelessness in Croydon.” And Gray believes that “understanding how people ended up sleeping on the streets and the difficulties they face is central to helping them off them.”
The campaign will kick off with a ‘connections week’ beginning Tuesday 30 August. As part of the week, the charity is seeking 120 local volunteers to go onto the streets of Croydon, to get to know the town’s rough sleepers and to identify their needs. This is just the start. After it is known who is out there, partners and volunteers will use the data to find practical solutions for each and every person.
Gray explained, “We are approaching the project with an open mind. Any solutions we find will be co-created by the rough sleepers we speak to and the community volunteers.” He added that, “As homelessness is a problem for the whole community, the solution needs to come from the community.”
The most important first step for Evolve Housing + Support right now is getting local people in Croydon connecting with those who are homeless. And this is where both you and I come in.
If you are a Croydon local like me, you can join me in giving time to the CR Zero 2020 campaign as an outreach interviewer, drop-in hub volunteer or data entry volunteer.
If you own a business in the area, you can offer gifts-in-kind and sponsorship of the campaign to enable it to run (please contact hainsworth@evolvehousing.org.uk if you can help).
If you are someone who simply cares, you can take a selfie and share the campaign on social media to raise awareness about this issue. Here’s all you need to get started.
And you can donate to Evolve Housing + Support to assist its heroic efforts in leading the CR Zero 2020 campaign.
Your small contributions will make a huge difference to humans who have nothing. By offering your time or money, you will help to give Croydon’s rough sleepers a tiny piece of security that many of us take for granted. There is no price tag for that.
As Sharon who was homeless in Croydon described, “It’s very lonely [sleeping rough on the streets] and you lose your identity. You forget who you are. When you have a place of your own again, it takes time to remember what you like to do, and time to feel safe.”