Anyone can become homeless. The longer someone sleeps rough, the greater the risk that they will become trapped on the streets and vulnerable to becoming a victim of crime, developing drug or alcohol problems, or experiencing problems with their health.

Rough sleepers may not be known to local services because they remain out of sight, bedding down at different times of day or night, and moving from place to place.
Not all rough sleepers are aware that advice and support is available to them.

Full details on local responses to help homeless people is available here.

The latest Family Poverty Directory (2014) is available here. Also detailed facts and figures about life in Newham.

NEWway Night Shelter

Churches across Newham opened their doors for one evening per week and provided homeless guests with a hot meal and somewhere safe and warm to sleep.

NEWway night shelter; final numbers.

8 host churches 113 nights 1,585 warm beds

75 guests, of whom were 28 resettled into stable accommodation and others into temporary solutions. Watch a short video summary at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vczVozy-wqU

If you would like to know more information about NEWWay, get involved in one of their projects or support them, please email jonny@newwayproject.org

Find out more about the NewWay Project

London Assembly Member Fiona Twycross has launched her film "The Kindness of Strangers" which looks at food poverty in London 2 years on from her Zero Hunger City report.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2QWRQBQlT4

We recognize that poverty is not just to do with a shortage of money but is also about a lack of other sorts of things we need to live a fulfilled life such as friends, time away etc.

Good News should be in many different ways not only to, but better if it is with, people who are poor; but importantly and prophetically Good News is FROM people who are poor, people who have more humility than power.

Much of the rest of this page focusses on various ways of alleviating the impacts of financial difficulty.

Poverty has many causes and they impact very many people we know in painful ways. They prompt many kinds of response from Believers who follow the examples and instructions of Jesus. Here are just a few that we are particularly signposting, but many others exist too which do excellent work locally. If you want to find others, do be in touch.

Stephen Timms MP talks at the Leaders meeting on 3rd September 2015, with a title of “Newham in an age of austerity: causes, projections and hope.” A number of important local charities and Christian groups showcased their responses to poverty. Some videos below.

Stephen Timms MP

Alesa Rahman - Drugs and Alcohol Services London

Angie Allgood - NewWay Winter Night Shelter

Caroline Rouse - Aston Mansfield

Jerry During – Money A + E

Kim Lovell - Just Homes & First Fruit

A Directory of Services exists to help you as you signpost and support people in Family Poverty.

This can be found by clicking here

Family Poverty in Newham

Directory of Responding Services.

1n 2013 a small group of local charities came together to explore how to respond to the growing impact of the recession and welfare reform changes on families in the borough. This directory includes references to a range of organisations and some additional organisations based on local referrals. Full details here.

Transform Newham Small Grants Fund has supported many other projects working to tackle poverty in Newham. For a full list of projects supported in 2013 and 2014, click here

Alternatives in partnership with Just Homes Creations Shop 66 Prince Regent Lane E13 8QQ

Please can you Help?

Your old clothes, bags and shoes are needed to support vulnerable families! When you get rid of any of your old clothes please can you bring them to Creations, 66 Prince Regent Lane, Plaistow, E13 8QQ where our charity shop can sell them to help towards supporting the vulnerable families we work with. It is open daily definitely between 10.00am – 1.00pm. We have an ongoing need for clothes, so please keep this email and please remember to donate them. Thank you so much – your donations will make a difference!

Contact Julia Acott 020 7476 8215 / julia@altel.org.uk/ www.altel.org.uk

The Refugee Crises – some frequently asked questions

Following huge public response in the UK to news of the Calais camp and the drowning of a three year old boy, in the Mediterranean, David Cameron made a commitment to provide resettlement in the UK for 20,000 Syrian refugees over a period of 5 years. Download the Refugee FAQ document here.

Local responses to help homeless people

Transform Newham

Newham Foodbank

This nationally-known charity has a local expression run by local people with two Distribution Centres, at Bonny Downs church hall in East Ham on a Wednesday lunchtime and St Mark’s Church in Beckton early on a Friday evening. There are other churches and ministries which distribute food at other times including churchesfoodbank.org.uk in Stratford and Forest Gate.

For more details and ways to make a difference, contact matthew.porter@transformnewham.com

The Renewal Programme (including Refugee And Migrant Project)

The Renewal Programme is a community development organisation, founded in 1971 on Christian principles.

Led by The Chief Executive Officer Ruth Bravery, the Renewal Programme is sensitive to the changing needs of the community, with the Board of Management and Ann providing clear direction in developing its mission and strategy for the benefit of all.

In amongst its wide portfolio, The Renewal Programme:

Provides space for community use
Provides information, advice and support for carers looking after family, partners or friends in need of help because they are ill, frail or have a disability. The help they provide is unpaid (NCN)
Provides advocacy and crisis support for refugees and asylum seekers from all parts of the world (RAMP)
Providing training in Information Technology and Business Administration with English Language support and childcare and a range of non-vocational courses
Works across the borough with over 1000 different young people each year, aged 10 – 25yrs, in partnership with both statutory and voluntary sector organisations
Providing administrative and accounting support to the Renewal Programme and other organisations.

Website www.renewalprogramme.org.uk

Aston Mansfield

Aston-Mansfield is a registered charity which has been working in the heart of east London for over 130 years. We aim to create a diverse and inclusive society in which all can participate.

We do this by delivering a huge range community development support and activities from our two community centres in the London Borough Newham (the Froud Centre in Manor Park, and Durning Hall in Forest Gate). The centres operated by Aston-Mansfield provide a hub for a wide range of community activities. These centres are open twelve hours a day and seven days a week seeing almost 30,000 people come through the doors each year.

Our work focuses on youth, children and the development of community groups and the voluntary sector.

Find out more about Aston Mansfield or call 020 3740 8100 or email briony.fleming@aston-mansfield.org.uk

Community Links

Community Links is an innovative East London charity, running a wide range of community projects for over 16,000 people every year. Based in Newham, it has over 30 years of experience working with local people to support children, young people, adults and families.

Find out more about Community Links or call 020 7473 2270.

Just Homes

Just Homes Charity is a response to the increasingly difficult housing situation locally. It currently manages six properties housing over 40 people mainly single homeless men, and single mothers with no recourse to public funds: there are currently 5 bedrooms for those not entitled to benefits. At times it can also help families, refugees, and ex-offenders.

Just Homes' aim is not just to provide a roof over the head but to deliver support services to its vulnerable tenants, particularly by helping people into employment and into independent living.

Find out more about Just Homes or call 020 7473 5286 or email info@justhomes.org.uk

Poverty Consortium

A small group of local charities came together in 2013, concerned about the impact of the recession and welfare reform changes on families in the borough. We were all aware of increasing numbers of families struggling financially and seeking support but signposting people to services was difficult due to lack of information.

We began by producing a directory of services responding to family poverty in Newham. The directory, and a report about the findings, can be downloaded by clicking here.

We are now exploring other projects that will help support people to move out of poverty.

The Poverty Consortium currently comprises:

Alternatives Trust East London - Website
Aston-Mansfield - Website
Bonny Downs Community Association - Website
Community Links - Website
Newham Community Food Enterprise - Website

Transform Newham is an active ‘Friend’ of the Consortium.

To find out more contact Briony Fleming: briony.fleming@aston-mansfield.org.uk.

London Community Credit Union (formerly NewCred)

This is a community based credit union. It is a not-for-profit organisation owned and run by its members. As part of a worldwide credit union movement it provides financial services to the people of Newham. It tstrengthens social networks and contributes to the local economy.

Find out more about LCCU at www.londoncu.co.uk 0207 729 9218.

Money A + E

Do you need an online first port of call to help you with money issues either for yourself or someone else? Try this site

Find out more about Money A + E