You see them every day, on the way to the bus station, near big shops, on the busy streets. The contrast between the dirty rags someone is trying to sleep in and the richly illuminated shops is strong. Britain has a homelessness issue, and it is getting bigger and more apparent. According to latest statistics from the government, there is a strong upward trend over the past years in the number of rough sleepers, with around 1000 people recorded in London in 2016 (Department for Communities and Local Government, 2017). However, the latest issue of The Homelessness monitor reports that this is a great understatement: it found that there are 8,096 people in London who have had nowhere to sleep at least once over the past year (Crisis UK, 2017).
Back at LSE, students walk past Lincoln’s Inn Fields Park every day, often enjoying a chat or picnic when the weather is sunny. However, there is another side to the famous park. Ever since the 1980s, the largest public square in London has been a hotspot for homeless people, many of whom sought shelter in the park. Due to amounting complaints and concerns, in 1993 the fences around it were built to keep them away.
More than 20 years later, there are still a lot of homeless people in this area. The good news is the community is not falling short of help. One of the organisations, operating in the area is Children of Adam.
A study by London Metropolitan University in 2016 found that homelessness is a hidden issue within student communities. One that people feel particularly ashamed to talk about. It’s no secret for anyone that finding a good place to stay for a decent price in London is harder than ever. This puts students in a particularly vulnerable situation, because majority of them settle for low-paid jobs while studying.
Hanan Chehata, together with group of friends, started the soup kitchen and have been running it ever since. Every Sunday at 6 pm you can find the volunteers from Children of Adam just opposite New Academic Building, at the corner of the entrance to the park. They hand out hot and cold food and drinks, as well as utilise donations that people give to the homeless. For the holidays, they distribute a special winter pack with essentials such as warm hats, scarfs and gloves. The sandwich store chain, Eat, partners with them and donates everything that is left after 5 pm on Sundays in the area. The hot food costs are covered through donations, most of which come from their partnership with City Circle, a charity with a mission to help homeless people. Because Children of Adam are not a charity, they don’t have a base where they prepare and store the food and provisions. Everything happens thanks to volunteers from both organisations.
