I was clearing out some old paperwork this week at the West London Mission and I found some fascinating old newspaper clippings relating to homelessness. One clipping particularly struck me. It was from The Sun, March 1990. It starts: IT's time we stopped feeling guilty about the plight of dossers sleeping rough on our streets. Professional weepers… Continue reading ‘Dossers’ who choose to sleep rough and the ‘professional weepers’ who care: ‘The Sun’ on homelessness in 1990
Category: Homelessness
Homelessness: personal tragedy & political failure
The annual service to commemorate homeless people who have died in the past year was held today at packed St Martins-in-the-Fields church, central London. As part of the service, The Choir with No Name and Streetwise Opera performed songs and the names of 160 homeless people who have died in the past year were… Continue reading Homelessness: personal tragedy & political failure
‘It has saved me from a whole heap of misery’: one night sleeping rough to help bring others in from the cold
On Friday night, 40 people slept outside on cardboard in the churchyard of St James' Church Piccadilly in central London. I was there, along with my Mum (75), son (13), daughter (8), as well as my brother and two nieces. It was noisy and cold, and sightings of rats scurrying nearby did not exactly help any of us sleep… Continue reading ‘It has saved me from a whole heap of misery’: one night sleeping rough to help bring others in from the cold
What would the prophet Amos say to Donald Trump?
One of my favourite parts of my job is when I am asked to facilitate the spirituality discussion group at West London Mission's Day Centre for homeless people. We see around a hundred rough sleepers every day who come in for breakfasts, showers, medical help and appointments with our team. The spirituality discussion group meets every Tuesday. At… Continue reading What would the prophet Amos say to Donald Trump?
Now is the time to make our voice heard about the scandal of homelessness
I live in Streatham, a residential area in south London and every day I walk the short distance to my local train station to go to work. Last week, just near the station, I saw a man huddled up, sleeping in the telephone box. It was bitterly cold and he looked horribly uncomfortable. I was… Continue reading Now is the time to make our voice heard about the scandal of homelessness
Can you help a homeless person exchange the cold streets for a warm bed this Christmas?
Dear R&R friends, Thanks for reading R&R this year. I continue to be encouraged by the growth of interest and from the comments and messages I receive via this blog. So far this year over 140,000 different people have visited the site. As you may know, much of what is written comes from reflection on my work.… Continue reading Can you help a homeless person exchange the cold streets for a warm bed this Christmas?
I’m agnostic, but if it wasn’t for Christians many more homeless people would die on the streets – by Paul Anderson
Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels.com I have worked for a variety of homeless charities for over 20 years, so generally not much surprises me when it comes to the reality of poverty and destitution. However, this week I was out doing a street count in London to assess how many people are actually sleeping on the… Continue reading I’m agnostic, but if it wasn’t for Christians many more homeless people would die on the streets – by Paul Anderson
Down and Out in Cardiff and London: a George Orwell for the Facebook generation
Today, George Orwell is remembered as one of the most significant authors of the 20th century, mainly due to the literary and political impact of his most famous books, Animal Farm and 1984. But when Orwell moved to London in the late 1920s to begin writing he decided to intentionally spend time amongst homeless people. … Continue reading Down and Out in Cardiff and London: a George Orwell for the Facebook generation
How should we respond to people begging?
Photo by Timur Weber on Pexels.com For many people living or working in large cities, being asked for money is an everyday experience. It can often cause feelings of distress, guilt and confusion. What is the best way to respond to someone asking you for money? In 20 years of working with homeless people, it… Continue reading How should we respond to people begging?
“The homeless? Aren’t they the people you step over when you come out of the opera?” – politics and rough sleeping
Photo by Jiarong Deng on Pexels.com I left school in 1990 and got a job as a cleaner in central London. This involved being on the Strand, by Charing Cross Station, at 7.00am. The extent of the rough sleeping at that time was truly incredible. There were 3-4 people sleeping under almost every doorway. Walking… Continue reading “The homeless? Aren’t they the people you step over when you come out of the opera?” – politics and rough sleeping
Grace + Truth 