2020 was a year of great challenges for Thames Reach and the wider world, but it was a time where it was most clear that our vision of ending street homelessness is an urgent social and health priority. Thames Reach’s community of staff, volunteers and supporters came together throughout the year to ensure that vulnerable people were not left behind, from the Everyone In initiative in the Spring, through to maintaining and adapting all our services to respond to the impact of the pandemic.

Our core mission remains as it always has: to help people who are homeless or vulnerable find decent homes, build supportive relationships and lead fulfilling lives. While we need to respond to a world that is changing fast, our priorities for how we work to end street homelessness are now even more urgent.

A tailored approach to housing and accommodation. While there is a shortage of housing in London that is available to the people we work with, we recognise that it is not enough just to build more. Housing is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and there is a need for a range of accommodation models that can meet specific needs for independence, security and affordability and which complements the support that people will need at different points in their lives.  We know that this is not something that we can do on our own, and that we will need to continue working in partnership with other groups to achieve this.

Increased awareness of and access to healthcare for homeless people. Homelessness and rough sleeping has a catastrophic impact on the health of people affected by it. This can continue long after people are securely housed. The impact is worse, because the people we work with often do not get access to the health services that the rest of us take for granted.  We will work with health services to remove barriers to access, and to help services respond better to their needs.   Services such as the Lambeth Living Well Network, and our own Social Inclusion Project, are able to break down unhelpful barriers between clinical and social support and by doing so provide more effective and  sustainable recovery.

Providing support for non-UK nationals sleeping rough on London’s streets. Non-UK nationals, particularly those from the European Union, are disproportionately represented amongst people on the streets and in insecure accommodation.  With precarious immigration statuses and limited access to  support available, this is set to continue. The majority of the people we have been working with have called London their home for a significant amount of time, and have contributed to our communities in many ways. They have been particularly severely affected by the pandemic, often losing work without the safety net of benefits available to others.  We can help by supporting them into employment and affordable accommodation, and ensuring that they receive the advice that they need.

Pascal originally came to London in 2008 from Spain, where he was living after moving from Cameroon. In 2012, he lost his one-bed flat in Abbey Wood, so went back to Cameroon before later returning to the UK, working as a general operative in Leicester for two years. Pascal first needed support from Deptford Reach in 2017 after he became homeless and was staying in a night shelter. In the following years, he was able to develop connections in the community and access private rented sector accommodation, as well as receive help with Universal Credit.

As a dual citizen of Spain and Cameroon, Pascal soon had to apply for his indefinite leave to remain in the UK, so Deptford Reach referred him to Fernando in the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) team at Thames Reach. He deeply appreciates how much Fernando has helped him with multiple aspects of the application, including the language barrier as Pascal’s main language is Spanish, although generally his English is very good. The application process went well, and his indefinite leave to remain was granted. This outcome completes his work with Fernando.

His plans now are to get a good job and have his family, who are currently living in Spain, join him. In his spare time he loves to watch football and tennis, and is an avid reader of spy novels. 

Pascal says it was great to find an organisation that helped him, and the support he received has given him confidence to move on with his life. He says he wishes more people knew about the services offered at Deptford Reach and the EUSS team, so more people like him can find the right support.

This winter, we’re highlighting the work we’re doing to help people move on and live more fulfilling lives. You can find out more about our Moving On From Homelessness campaign and the services supporting people like Pascal by clicking the link here.

Carl first became homeless after struggling to keep on top of the bills, rent and admin involved in his tenancy. He returned to his family home for a short time, but after a relationship breakdown he found himself rough sleeping for the first time. He was picked up by outreach services, and moved into supported accommodation in Croydon. Whilst there was support available, he struggled to engage. Carl chose to spend more and more time on the streets, begging and sleeping out overnight. Spending less time in the project meant that Carl was not engaging with the support to help him with benefits, his mental and physical health, and with his drug use.

Carl was then sanctioned by the Job Centre for not attending appointments, and with no source of income he built up service charge arrears, and was evicted from the supported project. With no source of income, and no space to call his own, Carl’s physical health deteriorated. His drug use then increased as a coping mechanism. This had a negative impact on his physical and mental health, and meant that he spent more time begging to sustain his habit.

While he was on the streets, he was helped by Croydon Reach, the outreach provision in the borough. They were able to check on his welfare, and worked to encourage him to return to the supported project, offering to help him clear his arrears. Croydon Reach could see that Carl would continue to choose rough sleeping, and that his health would continue to suffer as a result, so offered another option: Housing First. Housing First were able to meet Carl whilst he was on the street, and explain what they would be able to offer him; somewhere safe to live that was his own, and a support worker who would listen to him, and build personalised support around what he wanted to achieve. His own front door, and a safe space to rest and to reflect on his future, for the first time in a long while. Carl began to feel cautiously optimistic.

By building a good relationship with the team, Carl felt safe enough to open up about his patterns of use, so the team could find the best method of support for him. By breaking tasks down into small, achievable chunks, they were able to get his benefits sanction lifted, and Carl received his first Universal Credit payment in months. Seeing this result made him confident that Housing First really would be able to help him. Now that he had an income, he was able to move in to temporary accommodation, and very soon after this was offered a chance to view his Housing First property. The team were able to quickly arrange for carpet, white goods, and furniture to be fitted in the flat, to make it look like a home.

With regular, frequent visits to Carl when he first moved in, he told Housing First that he would like help engaging with local drug services. This was a huge step, and whilst overcoming drug addiction takes a very long time, he has remained linked in with the drug service, and taking his prescription since he moved into his flat, and has not been seen begging in his old usual spot since. Whilst Carl has not stopped using drugs altogether, he is using in a safer way, with minimised risk of harm. Spending less money on using has allowed Carl to invest in making his flat a home. He has also registered with a local GP and is beginning to focus on his physical and mental health. Carl has begun to reconnect with some of his family, and his home through Housing First has given him both the space and the confidence to do so. He hopes to start an online course in the New Year, and is hopeful that despite the adversity that 2020 has brought, 2021 will be his year.

This winter, we’re highlighting the work we’re doing to help these people move on and live more fulfilling lives. You can find out more about our Moving On From Homelessness campaign and the services supporting people like Carl by clicking the link here.

*image used is not that of Carl.

This Christmas, we’re delighted to be partnering with Social Bite, who are the largest deliverers of freshly made free food to people who are homeless in the UK. They have just launched their Christmas Meal Appeal in association with Just Eat, in order to provide up to 200,000 meals for homeless and vulnerable people over the festive period.

Until Christmas Day, whenever you order a takeaway from Just Eat, you can choose to donate at checkout and help provide a meal for people experiencing homelessness, with each donation being matched by Just Eat.

The Christmas Meal Appeal was officially launched this week by Helen Mirren, and is being supported by other well-known faces including Rob Bryden and Olympic gold medallist Chris Hoy.

The funds raised by the appeal are being distributed to a number of charities including Thames Reach in order to support homeless and vulnerable people this Christmas.

‘Thames Reach is honoured to be part of this campaign with Social Bite,’ said Thames Reach Chief Executive Bill Tidnam. ‘This year has been challenging across all our services helping vulnerable people away from street homelessness, but the efforts of communities coming together to help each other has been really encouraging.

‘Our work centres around helping people find decent homes, build supportive relationships and lead fulfilling lives, an important part of this is supporting people who are moving away from street homelessness, who are working hard to build a home, but who are often struggling with loneliness and isolation.  For them the idea of festive food is important, perhaps most importantly because of what it represents and we are very grateful to be one of Social Bite’s recipients this winter,’ he added.

Thames Reach provides a range of outreach services to people sleeping rough in London and Surrey. We know that sleeping rough is damaging and dangerous and the purpose of our outreach services is to provide these people with a route off the streets.

In the year 2018/19 the Greater London Authority CHAIN database recorded around 51% of people sleeping rough across London as being nationals of a state other than the UK.  This group does not have access to many of the accommodation and support options that are open to UK nationals and, as a result, they tend to spend longer sleeping rough and are more likely to die on the streets.

Establishing immigration status means that people can then establish entitlement to support.  Our outreach staff are not qualified to provide immigration advice and where we are working with people with unclear immigration status, we will encourage them to seek appropriate independent advice from advisers and organisations who are approved by the Office of Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC), and who will ensure that they fully understand and consent to any necessary information sharing.  This means that we do not share personal information with the Home Office, but instead refer to appropriate agencies for specialist advice and support.

We believe that people sleeping rough should be entitled to the protection of society, regardless of their nationality or immigration status, and we will continue to work actively with local authority services (such as safeguarding and child protection), and other statutory agencies where this is justified by the risk to the individual, other people sleeping rough, members of the public or staff.

Today, Monday 2 November, is the official launch of Thames Reach’s new outreach service in the City of London, providing direct support for people rough sleeping in the borough.

This new outreach team will work across the City every night of the week, checking new reports of rough sleeping on the day they are received, and developing personalised, long-term support plans with people who have been sleeping rough for long periods to help them off the streets for good. This will include helping people with different needs into accommodation where they can receive the appropriate level of support to help them lead fulfilling lives.

Bill Tidnam, Chief Executive, said: “Working with people sleeping on the streets to resolve their homelessness, so that they can recover and play a full part in society, has been at the centre of what we do at Thames Reach since we started in 1985. These are difficult times, but we are looking forward to working with everyone in the City of London to make a real difference to the misery of rough sleeping.”

Marianne Fredericks, Member of the Court of Common Council and Chairman of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Sub-Committee, says: “As chairman of the Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Sub Committee, I am delighted to welcome Thames Reach as our new outreach service provider. With their extensive experience working with several London councils and the Greater London Authority, Thames Reach is committed to supporting the City of London to reduce homelessness, with a special emphasis on reaching our most vulnerable long-term rough sleepers.”

At Thames Reach, we are looking forward to working further towards our vision of ending street homelessness by expanding upon our 35 years’ experience delivering services to homeless people. Currently, we employ approximately 400 staff and run services in and around Greater London, including: Local authority street outreach teams in Croydon, Newham, Lambeth and Hackney; a rapid response to rough sleeping service covering 24 boroughs; a range of hostels, each sleeping up to 50 people; supported housing and long-term tenancy sustainment for people who have previously slept rough in 16 London boroughs, including Tower Hamlets and Westminster.

Gabriel* is a Portuguese man living in London, who found himself homeless for the first time in the spring of 2020. He had a history of substance use and when he became homeless, his drug use had increased, due to the additional stress and trauma of his situation.

He had support in place around his drug use, but was struggling to fully engage with this process; overcoming this first barrier was essential in order to begin his journey away from homelessness. A lot of the early support he received was around stabilising his use, which he actively engaged with, and was successful in doing.

Gabriel also had a strong skillset and a long history of employment. The key to supporting him was helping him feel empowered to make steps towards employment and increasing his confidence, which had suffered during his periods of drug use and homelessness.

On a practical level the Lambeth Non-UK Employment Project (LNEP) team created a CV for him, provided transport costs so he could look for work and sent him job opportunities. Gabriel was encouraged to actively participate in the process, and by providing him with the tools he needed, he began taking steps to find employment.

Moving out of London was something Gabriel felt would be beneficial to his recovery. He found a job in Hastings as a cleaner in a supermarket, and needed to start within a few days. This is when support had to be as flexible as possible; the team needed to move quickly to ensure he was able to relocate in time to secure the position.

As soon as he was offered the position the team referred him to the Private Rented Sector (PRS) service within Thames Reach’s Tenancy Sustainment Team (TST), during which time he was secured hotel accommodation in Hastings and relocated immediately, to begin work within a few days. This gave the PRS team enough time to work on securing affordable accommodation locally and begin the resettlement process.

Gabriel is happy in his new job, it is a role that is not too mentally challenging for him; he says it gives him time to work on his recovery and rebuild his confidence. On his time off he is enjoying long sea walks and feels it is the first step towards a new future.

Each year, statistics on the number of people seen sleeping in London are published by CHAIN (Combined Homelessness And Information Network). Today, 9 September, annual figures covering the period from April 2019 to March 2020 have been released, and Thames Reach are disappointed to see an increase in numbers of people sleeping rough. However, it is worth noting that a number of factors, including increased outreach work and regular street counts, are likely to have inflated these numbers. So, while the figures are high and should be of concern, they are not directly comparable with previous years’ figures.

To breakdown the report: with over 10,000 people spotted as sleeping rough on the capital’s streets, this is a 21% increase on numbers from the previous year; however 60% of these people were seen rough sleeping just once, meaning that suitable solutions were found immediately for the majority of people spotted by outreach teams. Over 7,000 people were found sleeping rough for the first time in just one year. The disproportionate number of people from Central and Eastern European countries sleeping rough reflects the limited options available to this group and continues to be a concern, now making up 30% of the total. Numbers of people with mental health and substance support needs have remained the same at 47% and 39% respectively; at Thames Reach we are committed to ensuring that homeless people gain access to the healthcare they need, and work in close collaboration with health services to call into question the stigmatisation homeless people face regarding their wellbeing.

Looking beyond these figures and focusing more closely on the past six months, we are now seeing more people on the streets as a result of the pandemic. Many of these people are new to rough sleeping and it is important that we are able to intervene early and get them off the streets before this becomes a way of life.  A key part of a successful intervention is sourcing an initial place of safety and providing a quick assessment of options. This is usually done through the No Second Night Out hubs, but the high level of shared facilities means that they have not been open since March due to social distancing requirements. While this is understandable, without this crucial point of help there is a real danger that people who are new to rough sleeping aren’t able to get off the streets quickly and become entrenched in their homelessness.  While we recognise that running shared assessment space is challenging in the current environment, it is crucial that we are able to adapt and intervene quickly as soon as someone ends up on the streets.

Check out our website in the coming weeks to see how Thames Reach are helping people experiencing, and at risk of, homelessness. Through prevention, response and recovery support, we are helping people find decent homes, build supportive relationships and lead fulfilling lives in these most challenging times.

While the pandemic has meant big changes in the way we all live and work, we still need to provide essential services to the people we work with, who are particularly affected.  Adapting and working collaboratively has been crucial in ensuring that not only is no one left behind to sleep rough, but the people who rely on us continue to receive the appropriate support. We spoke with three members of staff about how services have changed and about how they are coping at this time:

Matthew Davison is Lead Manager for TST (Tenancy Sustainment Team) South:

“We’re still operating a near-normal service from our office and across the community; we are still very much available for urgent and non-urgent queries and don’t want any of the people we work with to feel that they have been left alone at this difficult time. Social distancing is respected during any face-to-face contact, which is being prioritised for those in need of urgent support, which can mean a variety of things, whether this is having no income or health, legal or safeguarding issues. For non-urgent support, we are regularly checking in with clients over the phone. Welcome Sessions for new nominated clients are also being held over the phone as much as possible, and in some circumstances we are helping clients move into new properties.

The team are facing challenges, mostly with the reality of having to social-distance themselves. For example, due to the nature of some types of medication, some clients have had no option but to go to pharmacies in person to collect their prescriptions. There has also been a lack of clarity around whether clients have been, or should be, identified by the NHS as being in the high-risk ‘Shielding’ category. These have been dealt with very much on a case-by-case basis and we have been working together to put the needs of our clients first.”

Sarah Jeeves is our Learning & Development Officer. Alongside her work in the Central Services team, she has been providing support in one of our hostels.

“In terms of HR, it’s been a lot busier since the lockdown; on top of our day-to-day work we’ve been updating policies and processes, especially around sickness and working from home. There have been lots more enquiries and staff asking for advice, which is changing and updating as we go. Some of the team are working remotely so we’ve been having Microsoft Teams meetings, WhatsApp video meetings… it’s changing but we’re adapting to it well so far.

I started thinking about volunteering at the hostel after realising that many staff members would be self-isolating or shielding. Working in HR, I knew first-hand that the staffing shortages would be affecting our most essential services, and when I began coordinating our volunteers, I decided to wonder how I could make my work go further. The main differences between my normal work and working in our hostels is how you start to perceive things and organise your day differently. Whereas in HR there are systems and schedules, working with people with a range of needs means you need to be prepared to be more spontaneous and proactive.

The benefits to both the hostel and myself have been pretty clear, for example I imagine it was a relief to have someone who knows Thames Reach well and already works here providing support where necessary. Seeing our work in the hostels has allowed me to see how I might do my normal job differently; I organise our training schedules so I can see where Managers might need training in different areas. My confidence has definitely grown here, and I feel capable to do the work whether it is based in an office or hostel. I also have a background in mental health so I’m confident in how to approach certain situations. As I’m managing the volunteers, I know exactly where the gaps are in our essential services and am always happy to talk to staff, and members of the public, about how they might want to volunteer their time and skills during this difficult time.”

Jakub Turek is Senior Practitioner for the Rapid Response Team.

“In the current situation a lot of services have been temporarily closed or have limited access. For us in the Rapid Response Team it means we have to work harder and build stronger relationships with local authorities to ensure our clients are supported during this hard time which affects everybody.

We have been working closely with other Outreach services like never before. The solidarity in the homelessness sector in London has been really encouraging.

Our service has been delivered with no disturbance apart from receiving a much higher number of Street Link referrals. We have been responding to referrals every night 7 days a week. Our team have been working really hard to ensure all referrals are visited and clients are placed somewhere safe.”

During the coronavirus crisis, Thames Reach outreach teams have been helping people experiencing homelessness and precarious living conditions to escape the streets and find accommodation where they can be socially distant, protect themselves, and help prevent the spread of the virus. We have worked as part of the Government’s coordinated response to the pandemic, known as Everyone In, which has helped thousands of people move into temporary accommodation since the lockdown began.

Now, we’re working hard to making sure that the people we’ve helped during this period are able to move on into secure, long term accommodation and escape homelessness for good. This means not only providing decent homes, but also helping people to gain access to better health care and developing long term employment prospects as they seek to make a better life for themselves in the challenging environment this virus will leave in its wake.

The pandemic remains with us right now, though, and its social and economic fallout is already creating huge challenges for homelessness charities across the country. Our services have been running and adapting throughout this crisis, but we still need your help to make sure that the vulnerable people protected from the virus during lockdown don’t fall back into a life on the street. Your support could help provide a starter kit for a new home, or provide training and work opportunities to help people maintain their independence. It could also help support people with drug and alcohol issues, or assist vulnerable people with mental health needs living alone in the community.

Support us today

Please support our mission to help homeless and vulnerable people find decent homes, build supportive relationships and lead fulfilling lives, ensuring that no one is left behind at a time when rough sleeping is more dangerous than ever.