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Issue 30, April 

ELECTION OF LONDON’S MAYOR 

Siân Berry 

Boris Johnson 

Ken Livingstone 

Brian Paddick 

THE 

HOMELESS 

VOTE 

WHAT THE Y’LL DO FOR YOU

2 / The Pavement, April 2008 

“Being ‘in the red’ is the new black”

The Pavement, April 2008 / 3 

www.thepavement.org.uk 

Issue 30 / April 2008 

Published by 

The Pavement 

Registered Charity Number 1110656 

PO Box 43675, London, SE22 8YL 

Telephone: 020 7833 0050 

E-mail: office@thepavement.org.uk 

Editor 

Richard Burdett 

Sub Editor / Web Editor 

Val Stevenson 

News Editor 

Catherine Neilan 

Reporters 

Rebecca Burn-Callander, Thea 

Deakin-Greenwood, Clara Denina, 

Rebecca Evans, Naomi Glass, Theodore 

Kermeliotis, Carlo Svaluto Moreolo, 

Naomi Osinnowo, Amanda Palmer, 

Carinya Sharples, Rebecca Wearn 

Photographers 

Rufus Exton, Katie Hyams 

Designer 

Emily O’Dwyer 

Contributors 

Agnes, Flo, Toe Slayer 

Cartoonists 

Nick Baker, Neil Bennett, Cluff, Pete 

Dredge, Kathryn Lamb, Ed McLachlan, 

Ken Pyne, Steve Way, Mike Williams 

Printed by 

Evon Print Ltd, West Sussex 

www.evonprint.co.uk 

The Pavement is written for your 

entertainment and information. 

Whilst every effort is made to ensure 

the accuracy of the publication, The 

Pavement cannot be held responsible 

for the use of the information it 

publishes. The contents should not be 

relied upon as a substitute for medical, 

legal or professional advice. The 

Pavement is a forum for discussion, and 

opinions expressed in the paper are not 

necessarily those of The Pavement. 

The Pavement (print) ISSN 1757-0476 

The Pavement (Online) ISSN 1757-0484 

The Editor 

Fighting voter apathy, and taking control 

There’s a fair amount of taking control of your life this issue, which sounds 

more like the contents of a self-help book! It should not apply more to 

our readership than to anyone else, and everyone should think about 

their ‘path in life’ and ‘purpose’ every so often. Think about it, and then 

take action. Even if it makes no difference to the political status quo, your 

health or lifestyle, taking control will certainly be beneficial to your mind. 

We talk about the homeless vote (page 13) and interviews with the 

front-runners for Mayor. At a time when the general public are staying 

away in droves from the polling stations, we look at your right to vote, 

how to register, and who you might vote for. If you didn’t know that you 

could register without a permanent address, you can – until 16th April. 

In News in Brief, we say “well done” to Peter Pickles, 

who took on a walk to raise money for a day centre that 

had helped him, paying back what he saw as a debt. 

And then Flo talks about giving blood and being an organ 

donor. Both are not only practical things to do for the benefit of 

all, but show a self-less attitude in this take-take society. 

Richard Burdett 

Editor 

editor@thepavement.org.uk 

Contents 

Cover 

The mayoral elections are fast approaching, and we interview the 

frontrunners in this issue – Siân Berry (Green), Boris Johnson (Con), 

Ken Livingstone (Labour) & Brian Paddick (Lib Dem) 

Design by Emily O’Dwyer © 2008 

News 

Pages 

Interview with Siân Berry 4 

Interview with Boris Johnson 7 

Interview with Ken Livingstone 8 

Interview with Brian Paddick 11 

The vote 13 

News-in-brief 14–19 

Street Life 

Dear Flo – organ & blood donors 20 

Toe Slayer – taking care in the cold and wet 21 

Agnes – your agony aunt 22 

Missing People 23 

Cold Turkey – We hope to have him back soon 

Letters – letters, answers and replies 24–25 

Homeless city guide 26 

The List (incorporating soup runs) 36–27


Mayoral candidates 

We talk to the front-runners in the race for Mayor of London 

Siân Berry 

Green candidate 

Although the current mayor has 

failed to hit his own target of 

making half of all newly built homes 

“affordable”, Sian Berry, Green 

party candidate, is confident she 

can not only hit the target, but raise 

it as well. One of the main points 

in Ms Berry’s manifesto regarding 

housing is in fact to make 60 per 

cent of all developments fit this 

category. But how is it possible 

when Ken Livingstone – whom Ms 

Berry has recommended Londoners 

to select for their second, 

insurance vote – has failed? 

“I have been looking at the 

mayor’s housing strategy, and it is 

good; but it needs to be backed up 

with real action and resources,” she 

says. “We have in the past had quite 

a lot of speculative investment, 

going for a quick profit, rather than 

selling at affordable, discounted 

rates – that has very much been 

the pattern. But now, with the subprime 

market, long-term security 

will be attractive, and bring in 

new types of developers.” These 

developers, Ms Berry claims, will be 

more interested in creating cheaper 

accommodation – and of course, 

the £4bn recently pledged by Parliament 

for the cause should also help. 

And despite the current proportionate 

shortfall, the Green candidate 

is adamant that targets are helpful 

and should remain. “Boris Johnson’s 

policy of abolishing targets is just 

nonsense,” she argues. “How is he 

going to make the changes he has 

talked about without a target? 

There are people who will be 

prepared to work with this target 

and put packages together.” 

Equally, Ms Berry believes having 

a target to eradicate homelessness 

is a sensible thing to do. “We 

have to do this, and putting a date 

on it means working with some 

urgency.” But she is less enthusiastic 

about the chances of any mayor 

hitting Mr Livingstone’s second 

self-imposed target. “I think we are 

into some risky times economically, 

but we have plenty of resources to 

create affordable homes. We will 

need to close all the gaps, and make 

sure the voluntary sector is there 

to steer people where they need 

to do. It can be done, but getting 

all that in place in four years, when 

the government does not care and 

we are expecting an economic 

downturn – well, the mayor cannot 

fill all the gaps him- or herself.” 

Funding is a key concern for Ms 

Berry, on anything from keeping 

the Citizens’ Advice Bureau alive 

to kick-starting new projects to 

deal with the growing number of 

non-UK citizens living on the streets. 

“The main thing local authorities 

can do is stop cutting services that 

help people,” she says. “Camden cut 

the funding to the local law centre 

and the Citizens Advice Bureau, but 

these are absolutely valuable onthe-street 

sources of information.” 

As a result, one of her top priorities 

is to ensure funding streams are 

more secure, so people working in 

them are better able to spend their 

time doing what they are supposed 

to be doing – offering a service 

– instead of thinking of new ideas 

to draw in cash. “There is a planning 

blight with the current funding 

model,” she explains. “Grants are 

given that last six months or a year, 

and people spend far too much 

time worrying about that and not 

doing the jobs they are supposed 

to be doing. I am hoping to set 

up a new funding model, in which 

grants for new projects cover three 

years and more established projects 

could get up to 10 years. Even with 

the limited funding streams the 

mayor has, this will hopefully inspire 

others to be less penny-pinching.” 

She also advocates a plethora 

of different groups, dealing with 

their own specific area, including 

specific groups to work with 

Accession countries’ nationals. 

“We should be going out identifying 

people from those communities 

who might be able to set up 

something more appropriate,” she 

says. “Although, really, this could 

have been done years ago.” 

Despite backing a disparate 

approach to homelessness from the 

voluntary sector, Ms Berry admits 

she would prefer there to be more 

cohesion among London borough 

councils. “There are certain gaps 

in a lot of ways – mental health, 

for example, suffers from a lack of 

joined-upness. You have the same 

problem with waste management 

– the chaos of London’s recycling 

system. I would not want to bring 

all social services together, but I do 

think it needs more co-ordination, 

and the mayor could put together 

more of a strategy, talking to neighbouring 

boroughs and giving them 

targets and aims, for example.” 

However, Ms Berry believes that 

the Green party’s ‘Living Wage’ will 

be one of the fundamental changes 

preventing people from “slipping 

through the net”. The wage - £7.20 

an hour – would offer a “more 

reasonable” base rate for people 

in work. “All parties will be very 

determined to stamp out homelessness, 

but not all are prepared to 

put in the social conditions to do 

this,” she says. “The Living Wage 

guarantees income for every citizen,


Photography by Simon Baines/Green Party © 2008 

“The main thing local authorities can do 

is stop cutting services that help people”


“These things are often 

accompanied by some 

breakdown in emotional, 

personal lives as well, 

and suddenly there just 

seems no way out” 

Photography by Rufus Extion © 2008


which is not just the bare minimum, 

but has something of a cushion 

for if you fall out of work – this will 

insure against homelessness.” 


Boris Johnson 

Conservative candidate 

He has been editor of The Spectator, 

MP and Shadow Minister of 

Higher Education, but to most 

people Boris Johnson is that Etoneducated 

Tory with the shock of 

blond hair who goes on Have I 

got News For You? and makes illadvised 

comments about Liverpool. 

Yet it appears someone has had a 

word in his ear and suggested that 

to have a serious pop at winning the 

crown of London mayor, it might 

be time to lose the jester’s hat. So 

there were friendly smiles but no 

buffoonish jokes as Boris strode 

into the sparsely decorated County 

Hall room, and stood on the map of 

London stuck presidential seal-like 

on the floor and emblazoned with 

his campaign slogan ‘Back Boris’. 

When handed a copy of The 

Pavement, Mr Johnson immediately 

remembered a much 

earlier brush with homelessness. 

“Actually one of the first things 

I ever gave away money to was 

Shelter, at primary school...” 

Thankfully the mayor’s budget 

holds more money than the 

average piggy bank. So how would 

Mr Johnson spend these funds to 

help homeless people in London? 

“The most important thing is to 

help homeless people get the 

accommodation they need,” he 

says. “That is why I want to get 

people into some of the 84,000 

empty homes across London. 

The number of empty homes has 

risen considerably in the last few 

years, and the number of people 

on housing waiting lists has gone 

up 68 per cent. There is an obvious 

solution there, it seems to me”. 

One of the first things Boris 

did in his campaign was to visit St 

Mungo’s in Chelsea. “We talked to 

a wonderful guy, Edwin, and heard 

his life story and how homelessness 

can overtake anybody,” says 

Mr Johnson. “Growing up, he was 

a well-off guy, then suddenly 

he hit the buffers, everything 

went wrong, and his personal 

life broke down. These things 

are often accompanied by some 

breakdown in emotional, personal 

lives as well, and suddenly 

there just seems no way out”. 

As mayor, Mr Johnson says 

he would encourage charities like 

St Mungo’s, although he warns 

that while hostels are part of the 

solution, “in the long run we need 

to get people off waiting lists and 

into accommodation. That is why 

I think homeless people should 

vote for me if they could vote.” 

I explain that in fact homeless 

people can vote, simply by making 

a declaration of local connection. 

“Oh, can they? Good!” 

The GLA Act, passed in October 

2007, gives the mayor of London 

responsibility for the capital’s 

housing strategy and investment 

as well as the power to decide 

how London’s public money for 

affordable housing will be spent. 

And with the newspapers full of 

credit crunches, repossessions and 

soaring mortgage interest rates, 

it is no wonder housing is a big 

part of the Back Boris campaign. 

Like Ken Livingstone, Mr Johnson 

has pledged 50,000 new affordable 

homes in 2008–11 while also calling 

for protection of London’s green 

belt and an emphasis on quality 

as well as quantity. “Affordable 

must not mean second-best,” he 

says. “It must not mean high-rise 

council flats. It must not mean 

being cramped and overcrowded”. 

Despite these exacting standards, 

Boris reveals he is not averse to 

more ‘creative’ ideas. “There are 

lots of tricks that the current mayor 

is missing, like Hidden Homes.” 

This is a scheme that has been 

run by Wandsworth Council since 

2003. Mr Johnson applauds the 

council for doing a “fantastic 

job” finding homes in overlooked 

places. “They lifted the lid of an 

underground car park and turned 

it into lots of wonderful homes. 

There are 10,000 homes you could 

find like that”, he says, before 

mentioning “suburban tube stations” 

as another possible option. 

For Mr Johnson, housing and 

homelessness are “two sides of 

the same coin”: Homelessness, 

he says is “a huge problem and 

you are dealing with people 

who have fallen through the 

housing net who feel completely 

hopeless and that there’s no 

one looking out for them”. 

So does he back Homeless Link’s 

goal to eradicate rough sleeping 

by 2012? Or does he think this is 

Mr Livingstone being influenced by 

the upcoming Olympics in London? 

“I don’t know if it is linked to the 

Olympics,” he replies cautiously. 

“I certainly think it is sad there are 

so many rough sleepers and they 

deserve help and support.” He 

supports the target, but is wary of 

looking underhand. “We are not 

just doing it to make London look 

tidy for the Olympics,” he stresses. 

“We are doing it because we want 

to help people in their lives.” 

However, Mr Johnson admits he 

is less up to speed with the issues 

over banning soup runs, a campaign 

recently put forward by Westminster 

Council. The scheme failed 

to obtain approval, and although 

Mr Johnson is “familiar with the 

controversy”, he wavers over who 

would get his support. “There seem 

to be two sides to the argument,” 

he says. “What John Bird has to say, 

I listen to with great respect and 

interest – I do not want to support 

measures that will unnecessarily


keep people on the street. On the 

other hand, I do not want to snatch 

soup from the lips of hungry people. 

It would be pretty heartless to 

withhold it.” So which would it be? 

“We clearly need to work out what 

the best way forward there is. We 

will need to see how the Westminster 

experiment works,” he says. 

He does, however, confirm 

that he is keen to support the 

voluntary sector and get money 

to worthy causes around London, 

like St Mungo’s. “I am also going 

to be setting up a Mayor’s Fund, 

which will be a big vehicle for 

getting money from the wealthcreating 

sector to the voluntary 

sector”. This will, he hopes, be 

a great thing for young people 

and the homeless, too. 

Another hot topic surrounding 

homelessness in London is the 

increasing number of homeless 

people from particularly Central 

and Eastern Europe. What does 

Boris think of the situation many 

‘A8s’ or A2 nationals (those from 

recent EU member states Romania 

and Bulgaria) find themselves in 

– powerless to claim benefits for a 

year, unable to find a job and left to 

fend for themselves on the streets? 

“Obviously I hugely welcome the 

contribution that Polish immigrants 

have made, and people from all 

over the A8 countries; they are 

doing a fantastic job in London and 

they deserve support,” Mr Johnson 

enthuses. “But it would be a it would 

be a tragedy if people were coming 

to London and ending up in poverty 

and destitution, unable to get 

back to family who can look after 

them”. He cites his recent visit to the 

POSK centre in Hammersmith and 

his concern about the “growing” 

homelessness, despite networks 

and groups which support people 

within the Polish community. 

Mr Johnson adds that he has 

a particular interest in the level of 

assistance provided for the number 

of ex-service men and women on 

the streets. Recent statistics suggest 

that one in four rough sleepers in 

London have a military background. 

Mr Johnson has pledged to introduce 

free bus travel for returning 

veterans of current wars. “I think it 

is about time that we did something 

for lots of people that are coming 

back from wars, which we may or 

may not agree with, and finding 

that the country they are fighting 

for is very cold and unwelcoming,” 

he says. “I think it would be a good 

thing to show some recognition of 

the sacrifices they have made.” He 

cannot resist adding: “I am pleased 

to see the mayor has now imitated 

us… he has had eight years to 

think of this, but has decided to do 

it as well – and about time too.” 

During the interview he asks: 

“What’s your estimated of the 

number of rough sleepers in 

London?” and, when looking 

through The Pavement, “What’s 

the Soup Run Forum?” Perhaps 

Mr Johnson is keen to engage and 

learn more about the homeless 

community and the latest issues. 

He comments how every morning 

he cycles past the queue of people 

waiting outside St Martin’s in the 

Fields and wonders “what have 

they been doing all night?” 

As we wind up the interview, 

The Pavement photographer 

asks Mr Johnson to pose with a 

copy of the magazine, which he 

does readily, flicking through the 

pages at the same time. He soon 

comes across the photo on the 

foot care page and with a cry of 

revulsion (“Ooh… aah… nasty!”), 

the serious politician demeanour 

slips and for a moment Mr 

Johnson is once again that young 

boy who did his bit for Shelter. 

Carinya Sharples 

Ken Livingstone 

Labour candidate 

The Pavement’s printers were 

stalled for Ken Livingstone, but 

we were not the only people 

waiting to speak to him. 

In a bright church hall in Enfield 

the plates of chocolate digestives 

were ignored as the press jostled 

with members of the public for their 

five minutes with the Mayor. But 

before the half a dozen old ladies, 

their cheeks flushed pink in the April 

breeze, could be heard Mr Livingstone 

moved his beige mac and 

satchel off an armchair and invited 

The Pavement to speak to him first. 

“Thanks for coming all this 

way to see me,” he smiled, and 

for a moment, we were charmed 

sufficiently to forget we had been 

waiting for this interview for weeks. 

Perhaps this action reflected 

the fact that the Mayor of London 

has placed the provision of housing 

high on his election agenda. And 

as a man whose political career 

began in the housing offices for 

Camden Council, Mr Livingstone 

has big opinions on this topic. 

“When I think back to the 

1960s and 70s, there was limited 

homelessness in this city,” he began. 

“At this time Labour had invested 

massively in housing, and it reached 

a climax in Camden when we had 

2000 new lets each year. People 

could look at six or seven properties 

and choose where they really 

wanted to be housed.” But when 

the Conservative government came 

to power in 1979 Mr Livingstone 

believes stable housing in London 

took a serious turn. “Thatcher’s 

decision to more or less stop London 

councils from building any more 

homes has affected everyone.” 

Mr Livingstone’s answer to 

the current problem is simple; 

“The only way to end the housing 

shortage is to build more homes.” 

The British government have 

pledged £4bn to the national


“When you look at social 

problems in a city like this 

you should not think on a 

borough by borough basis” 

Ken Livingstone Campaign © 2008


Photography by Katie Hyams © 2008 

“Homeless people are an 

easy target for two reasons: 

they are on the street a lot, 

and the police see them as 

less likely to complain”


affordable housing scheme for 

2008 to 2011 and the Mayor 

intends to use London’s portion 

of this money to build 50,000 

affordable homes in the capital. 

“We have not seen anything 

like this kind of investment 

since 1979, today there is real 

money for a major housing 

problem,” he enthused. 

But his plan for housing in 

London is not homeless-centric. 

He believes that in order to help 

those who have fallen off the 

property ladder you need to help 

everybody else up a few rungs. 

There are 150,000 families living 

in over-crowded conditions in the 

city and around 60,000 families 

in temporary accommodation. 

If re-elected Mr Livingstone has 

pledged that 50 per cent of new 

builds will be cheaper to buy or 

rent. “Boris Johnson said he would 

abolish the 50 per cent rule, and if 

this is allowed to happen very few 

homes in London will be affordable,” 

he warned. “It is not just the 

homeless who need somewhere 

to live, but if we cannot help 

other groups they will be pushed 

even further down the ladder.” 

With this in mind, The Pavement 

was curious to know whether Mr Livingstone 

thought that the Homeless 

Link pledge to end homelessness in 

the capital by 2012 was an achievable 

target. He did not hesitate: “I 

think it is a realistic pledge. There is 

a real range of options for homeless 

people now, some could go straight 

into smaller flats where as others 

need to go into sheltered accommodation 

to deal with their needs.” 

Although he did not voice his 

opinion at last year’s Council 

meeting to discuss Conservative 

proposals to abolish soup runs 

he hinted at his dislike to these 

kind of measures: “Councils like 

Westminster, who have taken to 

moving people on should not be 

allowed to do that,” he said frankly. 

“We need to work with these 

people, to get them into training 

and slowly ease them off the 

streets.” When asked how he would 

do this he lowered his eyes. “We 

would have to use the miniscule 

amount left out of that £4bn to 

make sure they are supported.” 

Mr Livingstone is an advocate 

of multi-cultural London and he 

was aware of another controversy 

affecting the homeless community 

in the city; the influx of migrant 

workers who find themselves on 

the streets. He told The Pavement 

how he had visited Brian Hoare’s 

peace camp recently, and met six 

Polish workers who could not find 

anywhere to sleep, and he believed 

that services should be in place 

to support them too. “When you 

look at social problems in a city 

like this you should not think on a 

borough by borough basis, you need 

to look to different communities 

and tackle their specific needs,” 

he explained, and pulling the 

interview full circle he added: “We 

want to create housing to suit all.” 

Our time was up. Mr Livingstone 

would be ushered to the 

next member of the press before 

being thrown to the mercy of 

the old ladies’ questions. He is a 

Londoner who understands the 

housing issue inside out, and who 

clearly has confidence in his plan 

to tackle it. But we will have to 

wait until 1st May to see whether 

his plan will be implemented. 

Rebecca Wearn 

Brian Paddick 

Liberal Democrat candidate 

As the pace of the mayoral 

campaign picks up, Londoners are 

increasingly becoming aware of the 

alternatives to congestion-charging 

Red Ken or the cultivated buffoonery 

of Boris. Brian Paddick may 

have once been better known as 

the top-ranking gay policeman who 

advocated a softer approach to cannabis, 

but his campaign as voters 

realise there is much more to him 

than that. Mr Paddick is clear there 

needs to be a change at the top, 

and not for one of David Cameron’s 

compassionate Conservatives. 

The Liberal Democrat candidate 

has plenty of experience of 

a London that his counterparts 

are unlikely to have seen. As 

deputy assistant commissioner in 

the Metropolitan police, he had 

responsibility for the management 

of territorial policing across all 32 

London boroughs. He was a senior 

spokesperson during the terror 

attacks in July 2005, and also came 

into the spotlight for his public disagreement 

with Met police commissioner 

Sir Ian Blair over the shooting 

of Jean Charles de Menezes later 

that year. But as well as the major 

events of the last few years that 

have shaken the capital to its roots, 

Mr Paddick is familiar with the 

mundane stories of misery that 

take place in the city and is keen to 

end them. “I am passionate about 

narrowing the gap between the rich 

and the poor,” he says. “This is one 

of the wealthiest cities in world, and 

to have people living on the street, 

to have 50 per cent of kids living 

below the poverty line, is an absolute 

disgrace, not only after eight 

years of Ken Livingstone, but after 

10 years of a Labour government. 

The Liberal Democrats are the only 

party that is really serious about 

narrowing this gap. There is a gross 

inequality that keeps the poor poor 

and makes the rich richer – homelessness 

is just one part of that.” 

The question of housing has 

been given a lot of air time by all 

the candidates – perhaps, in part, 

as a response to the hangover from 

last year’s sub-prime crisis, and the 

fact that mortgage defaults are 

going up. The Lib Dem have for 

some time championed the move 

towards creating more affordable 

housing, and their mayoral


candidate is happy to take up that 

mantle. “What we are talking about 

is decent affordable rented accommodation 

that would be suitable for 

homeless people, people currently 

in social housing and young professionals 

alike,” says Mr Paddick. “We 

need to get away from the ghettoisation 

of particular social groups in 

particular housing developments.” 

The solution, he says, is to 

create a parallel market that starts 

at a lower base. He cites housing 

association Local Space, which 

works with the London Borough of 

Newham and local property companies 

to help vulnerably-housed 

families get a foot on the ladder. 

“That is the kind of mechanism 

we need,” says Mr Paddick. 

He acknowledges that getting 

a roof over your head may not be 

the solution to all homelessnessrelated 

problems, but is confident 

more affordable homes would 

address a major component 

of London’s homeless population. 

Once people are housed, he 

says, it becomes easier to break 

“chaotic behaviour” patterns and 

become “more stable”. “Having 

somewhere to live is the first 

stage towards stabilising people, 

establishing people,” he adds. 

Mr Paddick relates back to his 

own experience, when he offered his 

sofa to a young man who had been 

thrown out of his shelter for sniffing 

glue. “This is not just because 

there is an election on, this goes 

back years,” he says. “If I become 

mayor, I will be active about the 

things I feel are important – one of 

them, which comes from personal 

experience, is to give those who 

want to get their lives back onto 

an even keel the help they need 

to do that. There are some people 

who want to live anonymously, 

and that is a matter for them, but 

there are a significant proportion of 

people who do want to get out of 

the chaotic lifestyle they lead and 

into something more stable. We 

should give them that opportunity.” 

The many numbers of A8 and A2 

workers who end up on the streets 

or in hostels is a prime example of 

this, he says. But the solution must 

come from the top. “The whole 

immigration muddle policy that 

this government has now got is 

made up of inconsistent policies,” 

he argues. “Most people do not 

come here to live off UK benefits; 

the overwhelming number of 

people want to come here to work, 

pay taxes, and contribute to the 

wealth of the country. People are 

finding that they come here and 

the work they thought was here is 

not, but when that happens where 

is the support? Either they are EU 

citizens, and therefore have all the 

rights everyone else has, or you 

say the economy cannot support 

that, and put restrictions down.” 

With Mr Paddick’s experience 

in the police force, the idea that 

some readers are stopped and 

searched excessively and for no 

apparent reason comes as no 

surprise, and although he is committed 

to increasing police stop 

and search, he recognises it must 

be used in a constructive way. “We 

have to educate the police to use 

stop and search appropriately,” 

he says. “Homeless people are 

an easy target for two reasons: 

they are on the street a lot, and 

the police see them as less likely 

to complain. Officers want to be 

seen by their bosses as doing 

something, but this is not doing 

anybody any good at all. They are 

picking on people who are vulnerable 

when they could be using 

that time to stop real criminals.” 

This ties in with another of his 

core policies: to ensure people who 

are vulnerable because of categories 

they are in – ethnic minorities, 

for example – are treated more 

inclusively. Mr Paddick is confident 

that with the right political 

support, chief commissioner Sir 

Ian could make the necessary 

“culture change” that would see an 

end to harassment of minorities. 

“Ken is saying the police can 

do no wrong, but what we need 

is a constructive, critical mayor, 

who says the police are unnecessarily 

and unreasonably picking 

on the vulnerable. Ian Blair is the 

man to sort this out, and I am 

going to support him, because 

I do believe we need change 

– unlike the current mayor, who 

thinks that everything is fine.” 

It is not just over the police that 

Mr Paddick thinks Mr Livingstone 

has let London and its residents 

down over the last eight years of 

his tenure. He is highly critical of 

the mayor’s pledge to eradicate 

homelessness by 2012, both of the 

feasibility of it, and the reasons 

behind clearing the streets of rough 

sleepers. “People have a right to 

be sceptical about what his real 

motives are,” says the Lib Dem 

candidate. “Is he really genuine 

about helping people, or is he 

playing politics with homelessness?” 

Mr Paddick also highlights 

the lack of awareness-raising Mr 

Livingstone has done since he 

came into power in 2000. “His 

powers as mayor may be limited, 

but where is he using his authority 

to raise the issues nationally?” 

He adds: “As mayor, you have 

a big democratic mandate. If 

the mayor chooses to champion 

particular issues, then 

people will listen to him.” 

In particular, Mr Paddick questions 

Mr Livingstone’s promise to 

make half of all new developments 

affordable housing. “Since he made 

that pledge, the number has gone 

down to 34 per cent. There is a 

development near me that has just 

been approved with 30 per cent 

affordable housing. He is not delivering, 

and does not appear to be 

putting any effort into ensuring that 

promise is going to be delivered.” 

Mr Paddick is equally scathing 

about Mr Johnson. “He 

shows very little concern for 

people who are socially disad-


vantaged, as you would expect 

from a Conservative,” he says. 

To meet his long list of improvements 

needed for London, Mr 

Paddick would like to see more 

powers given to the mayor, to 

remove what he sees as the political 

affecting decisions rather than 

considering what is best. The lack 

of a unified response by local 

authorities to, for example, street 

drinking, is something he would 

very much like to see changed. “The 

trouble with London is you have 

33 democratically elected local 

authorities, and it is very difficult to 

get consistent approach,” he says. 

“A lot of councils are either shared 

power or marginal seats – London 

is more political in that sense than 

a lot of other places – therefore you 

get a lot of political decisions rather 

than the right decisions. To give 

things to the mayor that affect the 

whole of London, like homelessness, 

rather than local authorities – the 

strategic issue of social injustice, 

social welfare, those sorts of issues 

would be better dealt with.” 

It is clear that Mr Paddick views 

himself as something slightly apart 

from the other candidates, as he 

frequently distinguishes between 

himself and “politicians” who 

are at the beck and call of their 

constituency, or are motivated by 

reasons other than the desire to see 

improvements in the city. But will 

this strategy win over the cynical 

voters? “A lot of people say I am 

naïve,” he admits. “But at least at 

the moment I get the platform to 

talk about these issues, and the 

practical common sense solutions 

– even if I do not get the votes.” 


The vote 

How, why and when to vote – all you have to do is choose who? 

Up to one in five Londoners may 

miss out on their chance to vote 

in the upcoming Mayoral election 

because they are not registered 

to vote, and although no figures 

are available, there is likely to be 

a larger percentage amongst our 

readership. But being homeless, 

whether you sleep rough, in a 

hostel or temporary accommodation, 

does not stop you from 

registering to vote and exercising 

your democratic rights. 

On 1st May, the election for 

the Mayor of London and for the 

London Assembly will take place, 

but if you want to vote, you must 

first be on the electoral register. 

London has the lowest voter 

registration in the country, with 

nearly 18 per cent of Londoners 

missing from the register in some 

parts of the capital, compared 

to an average of just seven per 

cent across England and Wales. 

The pity of this is that 

it is relatively easy to register, 

but many of our readers 

may not realise they can. 

To register and vote in the 

London elections, you have to be at 

least 18 years old on 1st May, live in 

London and be a British, Commonwealth 

or EU citizen. The deadline 

for registering is 16th April, so if 

you’ve picked up this copy hot of 

the press, you still have nine days. 

The ‘Why register?’ is harder 

to answer (other than you should 

because you can!), but there are 

two particularly good reasons. 

First, it gives you a say. Even if 

you don’t get your man or woman 

in office, at least you spoke for who 

you wanted. Despite a common 

perception that politicians are “all 

as bad as each other” and voting 

for anyone is a waste time (the 

oft-given explanation for voter 

apathy), voting is a positive step 

that will give you, the voter, a 

sense of ownership of the system. 

Secondly, the elections for 

the Mayor of London and the 

London Assembly are important, 

as it is your opportunity to make 

a mark on the capital. The Mayor 

controls a number of London-wide 

issues including transport, policing, 

fire and safety, housing, the 

environment, economic development 

and arts and culture. 

Taken that it’s important to 

vote, for the City and yourself, 

and that it’s quick and easy 

to register, why not do it? 

The homeless can register to 

vote by means of a ‘declaration 

of local connection’ giving your 

address as the place where you 

commonly spend a substantial 

part of your time (day or night). 

You can get this form from 

your local borough council. 

If you’re sleeping rough or in a 

hostel and you’re not sure whether 

you’re on the electoral register, 

contact your closest borough 

council. If you want to register, ask 

your council or download a registration 

form from www.londonelects. 

org.uk. All you need to do is complete 

and sign a simple form giving 

your name, age, nationality and 

address, and return the form to your 

local borough’s elections office. 

Just remember, the deadline 

for registering for the London 

elections is 16th April 2008. 

Staff 

• Download the form at 

www.londonelects.org.uk


News-in-Brief 

All the homeless news in the Capital, the UK and the rest of the World 

Peter Pickles’ long walk 

Well done to Peter Pickles, who, 

having recovered from a violent 

attack last year (reported in 

Issue 20 of The Pavement), has 

completed a walk to raise money 

for the Spitalfield Crypt Trust. 

On 28th March, Mr Pickles 

began walking the 70 miles from 

St Leonard’s, Shoreditch to St 

Leonard’s, Hythe, near Folkstone. 

He arrived there on Monday 31st 

March and was met by Hythe 

Town Councillor Mr Richard Carroll 

(pictured righted, with Mr Pickles). 

Mr Pickles told The Pavement: 

“I am doing this walk to say thank 

you to those who gave support to 

myself and my pal Lionel, when 

we were attacked last year.” 

He added that ”the worst 

part of the walk was the last 60 

yards up a very steep hill”. 

Staff 

to be named, told The Pavement: 

“There were a lot of people sleeping 

in the area, and they were all told 

to go and stay out during the night 

of the head count. They do this 

every time there is a head count.” 

An industry source told 

The Pavement: “Perhaps this 

says a lot about the powerless 

situation homeless people 

find themselves in.” 

Westminster City Council 

confirmed that the street count 

had been conducted on 19th 

March. A spokesperson said: “A 

provisional collation of this count 

shows that there are currently 

89 rough sleepers and a further 

22 A8/A2 nationals” and added 

that the figures, which would be 

confirmed later, were “a further 

reduction since the last count 

and the lowest figure recorded”. 

A previous official count in 

Westminster last September was 

“disappointing”, according to the 

spokesperson, with 105 people 

sleeping rough on the streets of 

Westminster, plus 15 more from 

A10 countries. The council said it 

would strive to reduce the number. 

Rough sleepers in Westminster 

are counted at least three times a 

year, and the figures are reported 

back to the Department Communities 

and Local Government. 

Last month, a street count 

was also carried out in the 

Move-ons and street 

counts again 

An official street count in the 

Westminster area last month was 

apparently preceded by police 

warnings to rough sleepers to move 

out of the borough. This pattern, 

reported before in The Pavement, 

seems to emerge every time 

authorities count the number of 

people who sleep on the streets. 

In the middle of March, a reader 

who was sleeping in the West End 

said he was woken up by police 

officers at 1.30am; they told him to 

move out of the area until the next 

night. The man, who did not want 

Richard Carroll © 2008


borough of Camden. 

A council spokesperson said: 

“The recent annual borough-wide 

rough sleeping count found four 

people sleeping rough. Three of 

these were unknown to the council’s 

Safer Streets Team (SST), which will 

work with the individuals to ascertain 

their circumstances and decide 

how they can best be helped.” 

Carlo Svaluto Moreolo 

Scheme introduced to 

reduce street drinking 

A unique voluntary scheme to 

tackle street drinking has been 

made top priority by supermarket 

giants Waitrose and Tesco, who 

have agreed to stop selling superstrength 

lager and cider in areas 

troubled with street drinkers. 

The initiative, pioneered by 

Westminster City Council, has been 

taken up by more than 25 premises 

in Victoria, Pimlico and Marylebone, 

and is already proving popular 

with businesses and residents. 

Conservative councillor Audrey 

Lewis said: “This scheme has 

drastically reduced the number 

of street drinkers in these areas. 

While it is by no means a panacea, 

it is a valuable commonsense tool 

local authorities can use to help 

tackle not just street drinking, but 

also to help improve the quality of 

life for all residents and visitors. 

“In Westminster, we can see the 

problems caused by alcohol. We 

have responded with tough planning 

and licensing policies, to the 

fury of the drinks industry, and have 

fought off over nearly 400 licensing 

appeals for later hours,” she added. 

In Marylebone High Street, 

the voluntary scheme, along with 

a number of anti-social behaviour 

orders and a group dispersal 

zone, halved the number of 

times police confiscated alcohol 

“I’ve been stung by criticism, what do you recommend?” 

from street drinkers each day. 

Some officers say there is now 

no need for the dispersal zone. 

The council surveyed people 

in nearby Paddington Gardens 

before and after the start of the 

Marylebone scheme, and found 

the number of respondents who 

said street drinking was a problem 

had dropped by 35 per cent. 

“We should be treating the 

sale of alcohol in the same way we 

treat tobacco, with all the relevant 

pricing restraints and health 

warnings,” said Simon Milton, 

of Westminster City Council. 

Clara Denina 

Polish hostel scam 

A gang of Poles are charging 

their fellow countrymen £250 

each for the promise of work and 

accommodation, then dropping 

them off at the capital’s homeless 

hostels and disappearing. 

A Westminster hostel told 

The Pavement that a growing 

number of Polish workers had 

been dumped on its doorstep in 

the last couple of months; they 

had thought they were there to 

inspect the facilities and stay. 

They had been collected from 

Luton, bussed down to London, 

and then abandoned at the 

hostel, all after answering the 

conmen’s advert on the internet. 

Staff 

The real Ladykillers 

Two female pensioners have 

appeared in a US court charged 

with murdering two homeless 

men. Helen Golay, 77, and Olga 

Rutterschmidt, 75, have been 

accused of drugging and then 

running over their victims in order 

to cash in life insurance policies.


The women are said to have 

befriended their victims at a LA 

church group and put them up in 

apartments. The court heard that 

they hired security guards to watch 

the men and took out life insurance 

policies in their names, before 

sedating and killing them with a 

car bought especially for the grisly 

deed. A senior detective on the case 

described it as “one of the most sinister 

and evil plots I have ever seen.” 

After the alleged murders 

– which police initially thought were 

hit and runs – the women are said 

to have collected $2.3m (£1.2m) in 

insurance. The victims of the pensioners’ 

alleged plot were named 

as Paul Vados, 73, and Kenneth 

McDavid, 50, who were killed in 

1999 and 2005 respectively. 

The defendants have 

pleaded not guilty. 

Rebecca Evans 

Stranger than fiction 

It sounds like a scene from the 

2004 film, The Terminal. Like the 

fictional character played by Tom 

Hanks, Anthony Delaney has lived 

in an airport for over three years. 

At a hearing last month, a court 

heard how the homeless chef ate, 

slept and showered in the south 

terminal of Gatwick airport, only 

leaving occasionally to pick up his 

Jobseekers Allowance. Despite 

receiving an ASBO and serving 95 

days in jail for repeatedly breaching 

it, Mr Delaney kept returning. 

Judge Richard Hayward was 

flummoxed by the case: “You are 

a fully qualified head chef and I 

cannot understand why you have 

not been able to find a job for 

four years when the south coast 

is bustling with food outlets. 

“This is just going on and on,” he 

continued. “It’s all very strange.” 

Mr Delaney explained to his 

lawyer Peter Knight that he liked 

staying in the airport because 

it was “clean, dry and warm.” 

He lost his job and his house in 

2004 and chose to stay in the 

relative safety at the airport rather 

than face life on the streets. 

Mr Knight told the court that 

Mr Delaney did not warrant an 

Anti-Social Behaviour Order as he 

did not suffer from mental health 

problems, nor was he under the 

influence of alcohol or drugs and 

did not “cause a stink”. Nevertheless, 

Judge Hayward remanded 

him in custody following the 

hearing, saying: “If I give you bail, 

you have nowhere to go, and the 

temptation to end up back at 

Gatwick would be overwhelming.” 

Mr Delaney was officially 

banned under airport authority 

bylaws in 2005. Although there is 

no official law against taking up 

“Oh, he’s all right… for a screw”


residence at airports, they can, 

like shopping centres, make their 

own rules about who can or cannot 

be allowed entry. The ASBO was 

imposed in 2006, preventing Mr 

Delaney from visiting either the 

airport or the railway station until 

2011. Nevertheless, he returned, 

and was stopped by security 

staff more than 30 times. 

The defendant explained 

that he only took refuge in the 

airport to keep warm after his 

tent and sleeping bag burnt 

down. The case continues. 

Bex Burn-Callander 

Street Swag 

On the streets Down Under, the 

swag is enjoying a revival, courtesy 

of a charity that aims to distribute 

the bed roll to as many street 

homeless in Oz as possible. 

Brisbane schoolteacher Jean 

Madden founded Street Swags in 

2005 after seeing a documentary 

that highlighted the effects of sleep 

deprivation on the physical and 

mental health of rough sleepers. 

Since then, the charity has 

distributed more than 2,000 

swags (bed rolls made of a foam 

mattress and canvas) through a 

variety of charitable organisations 

and schools to Australia’s 

street homeless population. 

For Aussies, the swag is an 

Australian icon, made famous by 

the unofficial anthem ‘Once a Jolly 

Swag Man’, a song about a homeless 

man killed for stealing food. Ms 

Madden said: “The street swag was 

specifically designed for homeless 

people ‘sleeping rough’. It provides 

comfort, warmth and waterproofing, 

but mostly importantly, doesn’t 

look like bedding being carried.” 

The swag also allows extra room 

for other personal belongings. 

Street Swags only supplies those 

who are sleeping on the streets, 

but it is fast being recognised 

as an immediate need. “It’s an 

important base step in helping to 

ease the detrimental effects of 

sleeping rough,” added Ms Madden. 

“We can offer these people a level 

of dignity and stability in that 

they can carry their bedding and 

belongings with them discreetly.” 

This year alone, Street Swags 

plans to distribute 6,000 across 

the country and also hopes to 

start distributing in the UK in 

the not too distant future. 

Amanda Palmer 

• To learn more visit www. 

streetswags.org 

Bin-sleeper dumped by 

rubbish truck 

A homeless man who sought shelter 

in a bin in New Hampshire, US, 

was left with minor injuries after 

being inadvertently thrown into 

a rubbish-compacting truck. Guy 

Stevens, 41, had been sleeping in 

the bin for nearly two weeks, but on 

this particular morning the rubbish 

was collected early. He managed 

to jump from the truck, but was left 

with minor injuries and was later 

seen limping down the street. Mr 

Stevens was subsequently taken to 

jail after police discovered he was 

wanted on a theft charge dating 

back to 2005. This is not the first 

time such an accident has happened. 

In Ireland last September, 

Kevin Fitzpatrick was crushed to 

death when the industrial wheeled 

bin he was sleeping in was emptied 

into a rubbish-collection lorry. His 

remains were found by workers 

sorting through waste at a recycling 

depot outside the city. The 36-yearold, 

originally from Derbyshire, was 

believed by police to have arrived 

in Limerick just that weekend. 

At the time, the director of 

health and social charity Trust 

reported that a similar tragedy 

had been averted just weeks 

earlier, after a driver collecting a 

skip noticed someone was inside 

it. Meanwhile in 2006, 44-year-old 

Robert Baswell sustained injuries 

including broken legs and ribs, after 

he found himself in a rubbish truck 

after falling asleep in a Florida bin. 


Empty homes in US 

outnumber homeless 

The sub-prime lending crisis 

has meant that there are now 

more empty homes than homeless 

people in some US states. 

Hundreds and thousands of 

houses have been repossessed 

because of the crisis, which has left 

as many as one in 10 properties 

abandoned in some cities. Most 

nights, there are now more vacant 

properties than rough sleepers. 

In Cleveland, for example, it is 

estimated that there are 4,000 

homeless people, but 15,000 

houses vacant due to foreclosures. 

And more and more squatters are 

taking advantage of this, sleeping 

in the empty homes instead of on 

the streets or in shelters, as many 

of the repossessed homes often 

still have heat, lights and water. 

Brian Davis, of the Northeast 

Ohio Coalition for the Homeless 

said: “Many homeless people 

see the foreclosure crisis as an 

opportunity to find housing with 

some privacy.” But squatting can 

be dangerous, as the locations 

can attract drug dealers, prostitutes 

and eventually, the police. 

Another consequence of the 

housing crisis has been the rise 

in tenants facing eviction, after 

their landlords defaulted on payments. 

Teacher Stuart Briggs was 

plunged into a nightmare when 

lenders foreclosed on his landlord 

last year; his utilities were cut 

off and he endured months with 

no lights or working toilets. “We


had no idea this was coming,” 

he said. “We were stranded.” 

Rebecca Evans 

New mobile vet service 

British pet charity The Blue Cross 

recently launched a new veterinary 

service in Walthamstow. 

The weekly mobile clinic, 

manned by a vet, vet nurse and 

receptionist, will treat the pets of 

locals on means-tested benefits 

and low incomes who struggle 

to afford private vets’ fees. The 

charity will provide treatment for 

straightforward problems such as 

ear conditions, worms and fleas, 

as well as vaccinating, microchipping 

and giving general advice on 

responsible pet ownership. Animals 

requiring more in-depth assistance 

will be referred to The Blue 

Cross animal hospital in Victoria. 

Nigel Smith, Blue Cross veterinary 

surgeon, said: “This service 

provides an opportunity for people 

to get treatment, advice and preventative 

care for their animals. If 

they have any concerns about their 

pets’ health, they can drop to see 

us and get their pets checked over.” 

The Blue Cross mobile clinic 

will visit Walthamstow Town 

Square, High Street, E17 every 

Friday between 10.00am and 

noon, and 1.30pm and 3.30pm. 

Staff 

• For more information 

see Specialist Services, page 28. 

doing at least 25–30 a day now.” 

The ‘Croydon Big Issue Man 

Appreciation Club’ founded by 

customer Matthew Melody, 24, 

now has more than 900 members. 

Mr Melody said he was happy to 

have helped boost sales. Members 

of the public and vendors have set 

up a number of Facebook groups 

devoted to the Big Issue, such as 

the ‘Epsom happy Big Issue guy 

appreciation group’ (which has 

more than 1,200 members), ‘The 

Singing Watford Big Issue Man’ 

and ‘Covent Garden Big Issue 

Man’. However, a number of ‘hate’ 

groups have also been created, 

including ‘Big Issue Man Hatred 

Group’, ‘Does it look like I want a 

f*cking big issue?!’ and ‘Why do 

all Manchester Big Issue sellers 

wear £120 nike Air max trainers?’ 

A spokesperson for The Big 

Issue told The Pavement: “We 

neither encourage nor discourage 

the setting up of Facebook pages 

for vendors. It’s fantastic for the 

vendor involved and we’re in favour 

of anything that benefits vendors 

in magazine sales and feeling 

part of the wider community.” 

However, the spokesperson added 

the negative sentiments were 

“unfortunate and, generally speaking, 

misguided” but also inevitable. 

“The Big Issue seems to 

provoke both positive and negative 

responses, even after 17 years, but 

we welcome debate,” she said. 


Film club events 

Award-winning director Ken Loach 

(pictured below) introduced his 

latest film, It’s A Free World, a film 

about the exploitation of migrant 

labour, with some of The Pavement’s 

readers in the audience. 

As part of Poverty and Homelessness 

Action Week 2008 in February, 

Mr Loach, famous for the BBC 

film Cathy Come Home (1966) and 

his association with Shelter, showed 

the film and spoke at the Prince 

Charles Cinema in Leicester Square. 

The evening was hosted by 

Christoph Warrack, founder of 

Soho’s Open House Film Club 

for the homeless. The fortnightly 

screenings take place at St Patrick’s, 

Soho Square (see The List page 31). 

Staff 

Gone but not forgotten 

The Department of Public Works 

in San Francisco is piloting a 

Facebook group boosts 

Big Issue vendor’s sales 

Big Issue seller Michael Murphy has 

seen his sales rocket by around 400 

per cent after a customer set up a 

Facebook group dedicated to him. 

Mr Murphy, 35, said: “I was selling 

as few as seven or eight a day. I’m 

Christoph Warrack © 2008


Salvation Army © 2008 

scheme to erect memorial plaques 

along the pavements where the 

city’s homeless have died. 

The project is the brainchild of 

Ian Brennan, a record producer who 

regularly commutes to San Francisco 

from his home in Los Angeles. 

He was struck by the plight 

of homeless people in the city 

and approached the Board of 

Supervisors with the idea. 

Supervisors Chris Daly and Ross 

Mirkarimi, who both approved 

the scheme, are also outspoken 

supporters of the homeless 

community in their districts. The 

final vote was unanimous. 

The human-shaped memorials 

will be around 2 feet by 2 

feet, inscribed with details about 

the deceased’s life and the 

circumstances of their death. 

Mr Brennan said the monuments 

were not intended to be 

provocative, or a ‘guilt trip’, but if 

people were shaken by the plaques, 

the reaction would, “obviously 

illustrate the problem really well.” 

It is not known how soon 

the new scheme will come into 

effect, or whether recent deaths 

will be commemorated. 

Bex Burn-Callander 

New St Mungo’s contract 

Just after losing the contract 

to provide outreach work in 

the City, St Mungo’s has won 

a contract to run the Westminster 

Street Population Team. 

The Pavement heard a rumour 

that the new St Mungo’s team was 

tasked with targeting roughsleepers 

with ASBOs; however, Adam 

Rees told us: “The focus of the team 

will be on working with the street 

population; contrary to rumours, 

the team will not be issuing ASBOs 

or gathering evidence for ASBOs.” 

Mr Rees added: “The team will, 

however, be referred people who 

are causing antisocial behaviour 

and are being seen as ASBO candidates. 

The idea is that by dedicating 

significant time to their case 

on the streets and addressing the 

social care needs of the individual, 

police action will be avoided.” 

A team of four will cover 

the whole borough. 

Staff 

Chess tournament results 

Monday 25th February saw 20 

players take part in a homeless 

chess competition organised by 

Salvation Army, held at The Rochester 

Row in Victoria (pictured left). 

Tournament winner Shaun 

Underwood, who won £25 in cash 

and a £25 voucher, came to London 

in March last year to find accommodation, 

and found a home at a 

Salvation Army resettlement centre. 

He has been a chess player for the 

last 30 years, and says the game 

helps him to cope with his situation. 

Mr Underwood said: “The 

competition has been good fun, 

but tough. I would like to see 

more competitions like this.” 

Others taking part said how 

much they had enjoyed the 

competition. One player said: 

“It’s a very good idea – it is 

good socially and I have made 

a few friends here today.” 

The tournament was the brain 

child of Mirek Polanowski, a senior 

project worker at Rochester Row, 

and refereed by members of the 

Greater London chess club. Derek 

Hadley, the tournament controller 

for the competition, said: “I 

think the tournament is a great 

idea. Some members of our club 

could give them a game.” 

There are plans to run 

the competition again, and 

details will be published in 

advance on these pages. 

Staff 

New head at ScotsCare 

Peter Scott has been appointed 

the new chairman of ScotsCare, 

the charity for Scots in London. 

Mr Scott is originally from 

Broughty Ferry in Scotland, and succeeds 

Wylie White, who has been 

chair of the charity for six years. 

Mr Scott said: “ScotsCare has 

continually evolved during its 400- 

year history to ensure it remains 

relevant and of benefit to Scots in 

London who utilise its services. I will 

work to ensure that this continues.” 

Staff


Dear Flo 

The Pavement’s nurse on why to consider being a donor 

When you hear “it’s the giving 

not the receiving that counts”, 

do you wince or nod enthusiastically? 

How do you feel about 

giving to others – do you share 

reluctantly or with relish? 

If you’re the former type of 

person, then it’s unlikely that you’ve 

ever given blood, let alone signed 

up to hand over a kidney; while 

someone who hits the latter’s credentials 

most probably has a silver 

medal for donating oodles of blood 

and will be considering leaving 

all 10 toes to medical science. 

At least, that’s the finding from 

some of the research that considers 

why only four per cent of the UK’s 

population gave blood last year. 

And if only four per cent of us are 

dropping in to relinquish, as Tony 

Hancock would say, “an armful”, 

then this explains why there’s 

currently only five days’ worth 

of blood stored in the nation’s 

blood banks. And that doesn’t 

seem like very much, does it? 

But, can we really say that only 

four per cent of the population recognise 

their altruistic self, with the 

rest of all simply sitting and scratching 

the proverbials? Surely we are 

a kinder nation that that; yet the 

figures are facts and so there must 

be some weak link in the chain that 

prevents the great British public 

from supporting their beloved NHS. 

Well, studies have identified a 

number of barriers to donating. 

My personal favourites are from 

a survey done in Nigeria, where 

respondents feared that giving 

blood would result in weight loss, 

sexual failure and sudden death. 

Evidence shows that we, in the UK, 

“Relax, Mr Simpson, we’re just missing a scalpel”


are not so creative and cite lack 

of time and difficulties getting 

to a blood donation centre as 

the key issues for not giving. 

I wonder if these are really 

acceptable reasons. I might believe 

that more if society could be seen 

as more responsive to other forms 

of donation, such as bone marrow. 

Sadly, though, the registers for 

potential organ donors demonstrate 

that we won’t even make 

the effort to help others after we 

no longer need the kidney, cornea 

or liver. Why not, when so many 

people are living their lives, waiting 

for the chance to move on? Studies 

looking at people’s attitudes 

towards organ donation have found 

a near comprehensive acceptance 

of the value of transplants and 

organ donation, but this doesn’t 

correlate with the number of organs 

being donated. In fact, numbers 

are so low across the whole world 

that most countries have taken to 

debating issues such as presumed 

consent and incentives. You are 

likely to have heard such discussions 

in the media recently and the 

outcry against the opt-out, rather 

than opt-in, for organ donation. Not 

mentioned so widely here, presumably 

because a stretched NHS is 

less able to offer it, are financial 

rewards. Maybe it’s me, but I find 

the idea of someone agreeing to 

donate a kidney so that they get 

free funeral expenses, rather freaky. 

Where’s our morality? Can we not 

move to think of others without 

how it will benefit ourselves? 

If all it takes is an hour of 

our time in a blood centre, or 

five minutes to fill out a registration 

form for organ donation. 

Are we really asking too much 

of each other? I hope not. 

Good health, 

Flo 

flo@thepavement.org.uk 

Foot Care 

It’s still cold and wet, so let’s take extra care 

Hypothermia arises when the body 

temperature drops so low the key 

organs can no longer function. 

Smoking and drinking alcohol 

increase heat loss and prevent 

a healthy blood supply to the 

feet and toes, so it is important 

to keep warm and dry, especially 

at night and particularly when 

exposed to the elements. 

The energy needed to stay warm 

comes from a good diet. A sleeping 

bag keeps the body warm at night 

by slowing down heat loss; trapped 

air heats up and acts like an insulation 

layer next to the skin. A good 

sleeping bag will lose heat, though, 

if it gets wet and if the fluffy section 

(the down) is compressed by body 

weight, so it is important to keep 

your bedding dry and always to 

sleep on an insulating roll (exercise 

matt). Sleeping bags should be long 

enough that the feet do not touch 

the bottom when your nose is level 

with the front of the opening. Many 

people sleep tucked up, with the bag 

tight over their knees and buttocks, 

so make sure the bag is big enough 

so no part of it gets stretched and 

compressed when you are sleeping. 

The extra space at the end of the 

bag is an ideal place to keep your 

shoes safely (in a paper bag), as it is 

best to air the feet when sleeping. 

In severe weather, wear pantyhose 

to keep the legs warm, but try not 

to sleep in your boots or shoes. A 

bag with a generous hood and neck 

muff (a drawstring) keeps the head 

warm, which is very important. 

Our body temperature is partly 

controlled by sweating, which 

makes the sleeping bag damp; 

constant use of a bag will also 

cause it to lose its warmth and get 

mouldy, but you can restore it by 

leaving it in sunshine or in an airing 

cupboard. Washing bags needs 

careful attention, so use either a 

front-loading washing machine 

(set to a gentle cycle) or a bath of 

warm, soapy water – and make sure 

you rinse out the soap thoroughly 

before drying. When using a frontloading 

tumble drier at gentle heat, 

put in a couple of tennis balls (or, 

if you prefer, a pair of trainers) to 

pummel the bag. Alternatively, 

allow a whole sunny day for the 

drying in the open air. Some people 

use a cotton sheet as a bag lining 

because it is easy to wash and dry. 

Routine foot hygiene should consist 

of daily washing and inspection. 

Use hand-hot water with soap, 

but do not steep the feet in very 

hot water as this causes them to 

collapse. Use a mirror to check 

heels, the sole of the foot and 

in between the toes for cracks 

and sores. Hand creams moisturise 

the skin and gentle rubbing 

stimulates the circulation, giving 

the feeling of walking on air. 

If you discover any cuts, treat 

them with antiseptics like Betadine 

and cover them with a clean dressing. 

Report unhealed wounds to 

the doctor or nurse. Regular washes 

remove the bacteria that cause 

smelly feet, and a light dusting 

of baby powder will help absorb 

normal sweat. If you suffer from 

sweaty feet, then ask chemist for 

medicated powder to sprinkle on 

your socks and into your shoes 

overnight. When weather permits, 

mild exposure to sunlight helps air 

the feet, and bathing them in salt 

water takes away mild aches and 

pains. Remember to keep them dry. 

Stay warm, stay dry 

and stay safe! 

Toeslayer 

Shoe-historian and podiatrist


Ask Agnes 

A hard letter, but one Agnes will try to answer 

Dear Agnes, 

I have a grisly problem for you. I 

was inside for a total of six years 

for sexual offences – and don’t 

think I am going to tell you what I 

did. It was over 10 years ago and I 

haven’t re-offended. The problem 

is that it seems that I, unlike most 

people, can’t escape from my 

past. Even recently, I was trying 

to get housing, and details of my 

convictions were used to support my 

claim. It’s beyond horrifying to have 

to keep making these confessions. 

I changed my name, but I’m still 

easy to find on Google. If I meet 

someone or go somewhere new, I 

often think I have been found out 

and I am too ashamed to show 

my face again. I move on a lot, 

but not because I want to. I’m 

miserable and I’ve done my time. 

Anon, 

45, London 

Dear Anon, 

It cannot have been easy to write 

this letter and I appreciate your 

putting in the effort and – in a 

sense – taking the risk of being 

rejected again. It’s also a difficult 

problem to respond to: newspapers 

feed so many notions about sex 

offenders into the public consciousness 

that it’s hard to establish 

how I feel about this thorny issue. 

That aside, without knowing what 

you did, it’s hard to help; the term 

‘sexual offences’ covers such a 

range of crimes, to which I’m afraid 

the public all to often mistakenly 

append the label ‘rapist’ or 

‘pædophile”. However, you point 

out that you have done your time, 

so looking at your situation from a 

social point of view, you should now 

be redeemed. 

If only it were that simple. 

As you have already found out, 

reinventing yourself is unlikely 

to be the answer. Changing your 

name did not create the results 

I imagine you hoped it would, as 

you are still worried about people 

working out your true identity. 

Although becoming someone new 

may put others off the scent, it’s 

not going to help you escape the 

person you are or the person you 

have been, even if they are now 

two markedly different entities. 

The crux of this issue is the 

notion of escaping your past. You 

say that most people have the 

ability to escape their past, and 

it’s this I question. Do you think 

we can incorporate certain parts 

of our past and leave aside other 

bits as we choose, or are we all a 

product of our various actions? I 

have no straightforward answer, 

but I think it’s unlikely that people 

can completely escape their past; 

rather, they perhaps learn to 

accept, explain or justify their past 

in a way that makes it possible to 

live with it more comfortably. 

The potentially shocking nature 

The Pavement 

P.O Box 43675 

London 

SE22 8YL 

of some of your past actions could 

make acceptance a difficult, if not 

impossible, process, and I am not 

the right person to make suggestions 

as to how you might achieve 

this. However, if you use your 

imagination, there are practical 

ways to repay a debt to society 

that may be more helpful than your 

years of imprisonment have been. 

Some type of voluntary do-gooding 

may also give you something 

more positive to focus on when 

establishing new relationships. 

Finally, I want to draw your 

attention to your right to choose, 

outside legal requirements, how 

much of your past you keep private 

and how much you to tell. Many 

people hide plenty of things they 

are not proud of in order to show 

others a better side of their personality. 

Provided you steer away from 

befriending anyone who presents 

a risk for you, I don’t see why this 

should be any different for you. 

Agnes 

agnes@thepavement.org.uk 

office@thepavement.org.uk


Friday Igbinoba 

Age at disappearance: 33 

Friday, from Southwark, has 

been missing from Denmark 

Hill, south London since 

29 th June 2007. His current 

whereabouts are unknown. 

There is great concern for 

Friday as he may be unwell. 

He is urged to get in touch 

and can call the confidential 

service, Message Home on 

Freefone 0800 700 740. 

Friday is 5’ 5” tall, of medium 

build, with brown eyes and a 

shaved head. When last seen, 

Friday was wearing a black, 

long-sleeved shirt, black 

trousers and a gold pendant. 

He is originally from Nigeria. 

If you have seen Friday, 

please call the 24-hour 

confidential charity Missing 

People on Freefone 0500 

700 700 or email: 

seensomeone@ 

missingpeople.org.uk 

“…and should you wish to rob the bank, 

press five…”


Letters 

Questions and responses to previous letters and articles – address on page 22. 

Crisis critique 

Letters, issue 28 & 29 

Dear Pavement and ‘Outsider,’ 

I was sorry to hear of the problems 

that you encountered at the 

2007 Crisis Open Christmas. It is 

always valuable to hear the views 

of our guests, and all complaints 

and suggestions are welcome and 

treated seriously. As it helps us 

improve the service that we offer. 

The Crisis Open Christmas 

has always tried to cater for all 

people who arrive at our doors 

each Christmas, be they rough 

sleepers or people living in vulnerable 

accommodation for whom 

Christmas would be a miserable 

time without services such as ours. 

However, we do try to guarantee 

that those most in need have 

access to our centres, and in 2007, 

with stricter fire limits on our 

buildings, we published leaflets 

that encouraged people who did 

have somewhere to stay to return 

there each night so that we could 

accommodate those most in need. 

However, as we currently 

operate a ‘no questions asked’ 

policy on the door, this is difficult 

to enforce, and we rely on having 

the capacity not to have to turn 

anyone away. Unfortunately, the 

buildings we had donated in 2007 

did not give us unlimited capacity, 

and so on some occasions, people 

had to wait to gain access. Some 

boroughs also put conditions on 

how we could operate which, again, 

limited capacity in some centres. 

As we could not publicise openly 

our centres in Euston Road and 

Temple, this did create added 

pressure on the centre in City 

“Mum! Kevin’s made a model of Antarctica” 

Road, and there were some delays 

in getting referrals organized, 

particularly as the Temple centre 

in Maltravers Street was also 

targeted at those local to the centre 

in Westminster who had priority. 

I know that this sounds overcomplicated 

and I know that it is 

frustrating if you are somebody 

who is really in need of our service 

at Christmas and is unable to get in. 

Following the experience of 

2007 and feedback from guests 

and volunteers, we are reviewing 

many aspects of the Open 

Christmas in 2007, and one of 

the priorities is to see how we can 

make sure that rough sleepers have 

guaranteed access to all services 

as a priority so that your experience 

in 2007 is not repeated. 

In relation to our search 

policy, we do have to carry out 

limited searches, as we always 

have done, to stop prohibited 

things such as alcohol being 

brought into the centre. We are 

sorry that this does cause greater 

inconvenience for those leaving 

and returning frequently, but it 

would not be practical to have 

external luggage facilities. 

On the subject of the sounding 

of fire alarms, we did have several 

alerts at centres this year and 

inititially buildings were evacuated. 

However, in all cases the source of 

the alert was steam and heat from


the temporary kitchens that we 

install in each of our centres. As the 

sensor in question can be identified 

on each subsequent occasion, 

once this had been confirmed, it 

was not necessary to evacuate. 

The safety of all of our guests and 

volunteers is paramount, and we 

would not have put anyone at risk 

by ignoring an alarm when the 

cause could not be identified. 

Finally, apologies once again for 

the less than enjoyable time you 

had at the 2007 COC. We are constantly 

reviewing the COC to ensure 

that it still meets the needs of our 

guests, and would be interested in 

meeting with you to discuss your 

views further and to help us provide 

a better service to you in 2008. 

Best wishes, 

Mick Bateman 

Head of Crisis Open Christmas 

Dear Mick, 

Thank you for replying to our previous 

correspondence on this issue, 

and we appreciate having comment 

straight from the ‘horse’s mouth.’ 

Editor 

However, on the day I was 

discharged, I was given £20 (my 

benefit clain had lapsed due to my 

hospitalisation) and taken by ambulance 

– my mobility was severely 

impaired at this time – to the local 

Homeless Persons Unit [HPU], 

where I had been assured by said 

social work department that they 

would “sort something out.” Had it 

not been for the intervention of the 

CID officers dealing with my assault, 

the HPU, by their own admission, 

would not have housed me. Due 

to the officers dealing with my 

assault, I was allocated emergency 

housing, which was withdrawn 

after approximately eight weeks. 

It had become apparent during 

my scant dealings with the hospital 

social work department that there 

was little or no policy, and they 

didn’t quite know what to do with 

me. That said, my medical care 

was nothing short of outstanding. 

Grant Kingsnorth 

Dear Grant, 

Thank you for your letter, and 

it confirms our fear that cases 

of discharge back onto the 

street are not isolated cases, so 

we’ll keep raising this issue. 

Unfortunately, following Lisa’s 

letter (Issue 28), about the death of 

her daughter who was discharged 

from hospital onto the street, we’re 

still awaiting comment from those 

who produced the guidelines. 

The guidelines produced by 

the Department of Health and 

Homeless Link are still available 

next to the PDF of Issue 28 on our 

website, www.thepavement.org.uk 

Editor 

Hospital discharge 

Letters, Issue 28 & 29 

Dear Editor, 

RE: Hospital discharges 

Following a serious head injury 

(I was hospitalised for a total 

of 10 weeks), I was allocated 

a hospital social worker for the 

final three weeks of my stay. This 

woman’s main concern was to 

find me somewhere to stay on 

my discharge. I was known to be 

entirely homeless as the squat I’d 

been staying in had been sealed 

off and locked up as a crime scene. 

“He’s something obese in the City”

26 / The Pavement, April 2008


TELEPHONE SERVICES 

Benefits Agency (JCP) 

To make a claim 

0800 055 6688 

For queries about existing claims 

for Income Support, Jobseekers 

Allowance or Incapacity Benefit 

0845 377 6001 

For Social Fund enquiries 

0845 608 8661 

For the Pensions Service 

0845 60 60 265 

Domestic Violence Helpline 

0808 2000 247 

Eaves 

020 7735 2062 

Helps victims of trafficking 

for prostitution 

Frank 

0800 776 600 

Free 24-hr drug helpline 

Get Connected 

0808 808 4994 

Free advice for young people 

(1pm–7pm daily) 

London Street Rescue 

0870 383 3333 

Rough sleeper’s hot-line 

Message Home Helpline 

0800 700 740, 24 hrs daily 

National Debtline 

0808 808 4000 

Open Door Gay Men’s Housing 

Project 

0208 743 2165 

Poppy 

020 7840 7141 

Helps women who have been 

trafficked for sexual exploitation 

Runaway Helpline 

0808 800 7070 

Free line for under-18s 

who have left home 

The Samaritans 

08457 90 9090 

Shelter 

0808 800 4444 

Housing info and advice 

8am–12am daily 

Stonewall Housing Advice Line 

Advice for Lesbian and Gay men 

020 7359 5767 

(Mon, Thu, Fri 10am –1pm; 

Tue & Wed 2 – 5pm) 

UK Human Trafficking Centre 

0114 252 3891 

WEBSITES 

Homeless London Directory (RIS) 

Updated at least annually 

www.homelesslondon.org 

Mental Fight Club 

A creative/arts site for those 

with mental illness. 

uk.geocities.com/gabrielejenkinson@btinternet.com/ 

The Pavement Online 

Regularly updated online version 

of The List, which will soon be in 

several translations to download. 

www.thepavement.org.uk/ 

services.htm 

Proud to be mad 

A campaigning site for those 

with mental illness 

www.proudtobemad.co.uk 

Stonewall Housing 

Addresses the housing needs of lesbians 

and gay men. Provides temporary, 

supported housing for 16 – 25 

years old lesbians and gay men. 

www.stonewallhousing.org 

Stockists: 

Ace of Clubs Day Centre 

American Church 

Argyle Walk (St Mungo’s) 

ASLAN 

Borderline 

Bridge Resource Centre 

Broadway Day Centre 

Cambria House 

Cardinal Hume Centre 

The Caravan Drop-In & 

Counselling Service 

Chelsea Methodist Church 

Choral Hall Lifeskills Centre 

CSTM 

Crisis Skylight 

Church Army (Women’s 

Day Centre) 

Edward Alsop Court 

Endsleigh Gardens Hostel 

Great Chapel Street 

London Jesus Centre 

Medical Centre 

Holy Cross Centre 

Housing Justice/UNLEASH 

Job Centre Plus – Brixton, 

London Bridge, Peckham 

King George’s Hostel 

King’s Cross Primary Care Centre 

Look Ahead Hostel (Victoria) 

Manna Day Centre 

Mount Pleasant Hostel 

North London Action 

for the Homeless 

Our Lady Help of Christians 

Catholic Church 

The Passage 

Providence Row (Dellow Centre) 

Quaker Mobile Library 

Rochester Row Day Centre 

ScotsCare 

Simon Community 

Single Homeless Project hostels 

Soho Rapid Access Clinic (SRAC) 

Spectrum Day Centre 

Spires Centre 

Spitalfields Crypt Trust 

St Cuthbert’s Centre 

St Giles Trust 

St Matthew’s, Fulham 

St Stephen’s Church 

Turning Point (Hungerford 

Drug Project) 

Two Step, Angel 

Union Chapel 

Veterans Aid 

Webber Street 

Wedge House 

West London Day Centre 

Westminster Libraries 

Whitechapel Mission


Simon Community 

Tea Run: Sun & Mon (6–9.30am): 

St Pancras Church 6.30am; Milford 

Lane 6.45am; Strand 7am; Southampton 

Road 7.30am; Army and 

Navy 8am; Grosvenor Gardens 

8.30am; Marble Arch (Sunday) 9am; 

Waterloo Bridge (Sunday) 9.30am 

Soup Run: Wed & Thurs (8pm– 

10.30pm): St Pancras Church 

8.15pm; Hinde Street 8.45pm; 

Maltravers Street 9.15pm; Waterloo 

9.45pm; Army and Navy 10.15pm 

Street Café: St Mary-Le-Strand 

(Strand) – Mon (5pm–7pm) & 

Wed (10am–12.00pm), and St 

Giles-in-the-Fields, St Giles High 

Street, WC2 (next to Denmark 

Street) – Sat (2 – 4pm) 

P 

St Andrew’s Church 

10 St Andrew’s Road 

Fulham, W14 9SX 

Sat: 12noon-2pm 

Hot food and sandwiches 

St John’s Ealing 

Mattock Lane, West Ealing 

W13 9LA 

020 8566 3507 

Sat & Sun: 4pm–5pm 

St John the Evangelist 

39 Duncan Terrace, N1 8AL 

020 7226 3277 

Tues–Sat: 12.30pm–1.30pm 

St Mary’s Church Islington 

Upper St, N1 

020 7354 3427 

Mon: 11.30am–2pm 

SW London Vineyard – The King’s 

Table 

Sun 2.30pm–4.30pm beneath 

Waterloo Bridge (Embankment). 

Superb hot stews and potatoes. 

SEASONAL SHELTERS 

Closed until November 

SOCIAL EVENTS 

See Entertainment & Social Events 

SPECIALIST SERVICES 

Blue Cross Veterinary Services 

Offered to pet owners on a low 

income. This is usually a means 

tested benefit or state pension 

with no other means of income. 

Blue Cross Mobile Veterinary Clinic 

All run 10am – 12pm & 1.30pm 

–3.30pm, at these locations – Mon: 

Bethnal Green Road E2; Wed: 

Hackney Town Hall (car park) E8; 

Thur: Islington Town Hall, Upper 

Street, N1; Fri: Walthamstow 

Town Square, High Street, E17 

On a first-come-first-served basis. 

Some cases may need to be 

referred to the Victoria hospital. 

Hospitals 

Blue Cross Victoria, 1 – 5 

Hugh Street, SW1V 1QQ 

020 7932 2370 

Blue Cross Hammersmith, Argyle 

Place, King Street,W6 0RQ 

020 8748 1400 

Blue Cross Merton, 88 – 92 

Merton High Street, SW19 1BD 

020 8254 1400 

Quaker Mobile Library 

Every second Mon: St John’s, 

Waterloo; Webber St (behind the 

Old Vic); and The Manna Centre. 

Every Sat morning: The 

Passage and St Martin’s; P 

“Go and sit on the naughty steppe!”


American Church 

(Entrance in Whitfield St) 

79a Tottenham Court Rd, W1T 

020 7580 2791 

Mon–Sat (except Wed): 

10am–12pm 

P 

ASLAN 

Hot food and sandwiches for 

early risers. Sat 5.30am–8.30am 

– Covent Garden, Milford Lane, 

Surrey Street, Strand and Waterloo. 

P 

Bloomsbury Central Baptist 

Church 

235 Shaftesbury Ave, WC2 8EP 

020 7240 0544 

Sunday: Roast lunch 1pm 

10.30am for ticket (very limited) 

The Cabin 

Near top of Holloway Road, 

right at Theo’s Shoe shop 

Sandwich van every day; 

10.30–11.45am 

The Carpenters 

TMO Community Hall, 17 Doran 

Walk, Stratford, E15 2JL 

020 8221 3860 

A ‘food pack’ with hot or cold drink, 

every Tuesday; 10am–12pm 

City Temple 

Holborn Viaduct, EC1A 2DE 

020 7583 5532 

Mon–Fri: 1pm–2pm 

£3 voucher (1 per week) redeemable 

at local café. ID required 

Emmanuel Church (Stratford) 

Corner of Romford Rd & Upton Lane 

Thurs: 7.30am (booked breakfast) 

Faith House (Salvation Army) 

11 Argyle Street, King’s Cross 

(near Burger King), WC1H 8EJ 

020 7837 5149 

Mon: 6–8pm (men’s group); 

Tues: 5–6pm (women’s drop-in); 

Weds: 1–3pm (women’s dropin), 

7.30–9pm (open drop-in); 

Fri: 11am–1pm (women’s 

brunch & discussion group) 

FF, CL 

Hare Krishna Food for Life 

The Hare Krishna food run provides 

wholesome and tasty vegetarian 

meals from Soho and King’s Cross 

Temples. The former can be found 

at Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Mon–Thurs; 

7:15pm, finishing at Temple if 

there’s food left. The latter from 

Monday to Saturday all year round: 

Kentish Town (Islip Road); 12pm: 

Camden (Arlington Road); 1pm: 

King’s Cross (York Way) 2.15pm. 

Harlow Chocolate Run 

This run is from Harlow, and 

serves hot chocolate! Coming 

out on the Second Tuesday 

of the month. Behind the 

Army and Navy in Victoria. 

House of Bread – The Vision 

Second and fourth Sunday in the 

month (6.45am onwards) – Hot 

food; note that an excellent full 

cooked breakfast is served on the 

fourth Sunday. On the Strand 

(Charing Cross end, outside Coutt’s). 

Imperial College 

Serving sandwiches and hot 

beverages on Sunday evenings 

(8–9.30pm) at Lincoln’s Inn Fields. 

Lincoln’s Inn Fields 

Mon–Fri: 7.15pm; Many vans with 

food and occasionally clothing. 

Sat –Sun: 6.15pm onwards. 

The London Run 

Mondays (including bank holidays). 

Van with tea/coffee, sandwiches, 

eggs, biscuits, soft drinks, clothes, 

and toiletries: 8.45–9.30am; The 

Strand, opposite Charing Cross 

police station: 9.30pm–10.15pm; 

Temple: 10.15pm–11.00pm; 

Waterloo (St John’s Church). 

Memorial Baptist Church Plaistow 

389 –395 Barking Road, E13 8AL 

020 7476 4133 

Sat: 8am–12pm 

Full English breakfast 

Muswell Hill Churches Soup 

Kitchen 

Muswell Hill Baptish Church, 

2 Dukes Ave, N10 2PT 

020 8883 8520 

Sun–Thurs; 7.45am–8.45pm 

New Life Assembly 

A run in Hendon, that comes into 

the West End once a month. 

Nightwatch 

At the fountain in the Queens 

Gardens, central Croydon 

Every night from 9.30pm 

Sandwiches and hot drinks 

Open Door Meal 

St James the Less parish centre, 

Vauxhall Bridge Road, behind the 

Lord High Admiral public house. 

An established service, providing a 

two-course hot meal served at table. 

Alternate Thursdays during 

term-time; 7-9.30 pm. 

B, CL, FF 

Our Lady of Hal 

165 Arlington Rd, NW1 

020 7485 2727 

Tues, Weds, Fri & Sat: 

12.45pm–2pm 

Peter’s Community Café 

The Crypt, St. Peter’s Church, 

De Beauvoir Road, N1 

020 7249 0041 

Mon–Wed: 12noon–7pm 

Rice Run 

The Strand, Westminster 

Fri : 9–10pm 

Rice and Chicken, or savoury rice 

The Sacred Heart 

This run from Wimbledon has 

several teams coming up once a 

month to the Piazza of Westminster 

Cathedral. Sandwiches and 

hot beverages around 9.30pm 

every Tuesday and Friday. 

Sai Baba 

Third Sunday of the Month: 93 

Guildford Street, WC1 (Coram’s 

Fields); 11am–1pm. Vegetarian 

meal and tea. Another branch 

of this sect also have a service at 

Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Wednesday, 

around 8pm– a great curry! 

Samaritan Network 

Every Sunday, 6–8pm, at the 

corner of Temple Station. 

www.smouk.org 

Silver Lady Fund (The Pie Man) 

Piping hot pasties, pies and 

sausage rolls from the van down 

behind the Festival Hall early 

mornings (it’s white with ‘Silver 

Lady Fund’ written on the side).

30 / The Pavement, April 2008 

MEDICAL SERVICES 

Great Chapel Street Medical 

Centre 

13 Great Chapel St, W1 

020 7437 9360 

Mon, Tues & Thurs: 11am– 

12.30pm; Mon–Fri: 2pm–4pm 

A, BA, C, D, DT, FC, H, MH, MS, P, SH 

Dr Hickey’s – Cardinal Hume 

Centre 

Arneway St, SW1 

020 7222 8593 

Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 

10am–12.30pm & 2pm–4pm 

Wed: 10am–12.30pm 

A, BA, C, D, DT, H, MH, MS, P, SH 

Health E1 

9–11 Brick Lane, E1 

020 7247 0090 

Mon–Thurs: 9.15am–11.30am 

Friday: 10.30am–12.30pm; 

Mon, Wed & Fri afternoons 

– appointments only 

“Not much call for Alvis impersonators” 

King’s Cross Primary Care Centre 

264 Pentonville Rd, N1 

020 7530 3444 

Mon: 6.30 – 9.30pm; Tue: 2 

– 4pm; Fri: 1.30 – 3.30pm 

BA, BS, CL, DT, FC, H, 

MH, MS, NE, P, SH 

Project London (Médecins du 

Monde) 

Pott St, Bethnal Green, E2 0EF 

Mon, Wed &:Fri 1pm–5pm 

07974 616 852 & 020 8123 6614 

MS, SH 

Project London also operates at 

Providence Row and U-Turn 

TB screening van – MXU 

Information given as date, 

time, location, street, and where 

the appropriate clinic will be. 

Turn up at these locations: 

Mon 14 Apr: 8.30am – 4pm, 

YMCA West London – Ealing, 25 St 

Mary’s Road, W5 5RE (clinic: Ealing 

Hospital); Tue 15 Apr: 10am – 1pm, 

Broadway Centre, 14 Market Lane, 

W12 8EZ (clinic: Charing Cross 

Hospital); 16 Apr: 11am – 3pm, 

Broadway, 160 Coningham Road, 

W12 (clinic: Hammersmith/Charing 

Cross Hospital); Wed 16 Apr: 5 

– 7pm, Upper Room Project, St 

Saviours Church, Cobbold Rd, W12 

9LN (clinic: Hammersmith/Charing 

Cross Hospital); Thur 17 Apr: 11am 

– 3pm, St Christopher’s Felowship, 

47 Limegrove, W12 8EE (clinic: 

Hammersmith/Charing Cross Hospital); 

Fri 18 Apr: 11am – 2.30pm, 

St Cuthberts, 51 Philbeach Gardens, 

SW5 9EB (clinic: Hammersmith/ 

Charing Cross Hospital); Tue 22 Apr: 

3 – 7pm, Sixty Five Project, 65 

Uxbridge Rd, W7 3PX (clinic: Ealing 

Hospital); Wed 23 Apr: 11am – 2pm, 

Edith Road Resettlement Centre 

(Salvation Army), 10 – 12 Edith 

Road, W14 9BA (clinic: Hammersmith/Charing 

Cross Hospital); 

Thur 24 Apr: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 

Acton Homeless Concern (Emmaus 

House), 1 Berrymead Gardens, 

W3 8AA (clinic: Ealing Hospital) 

Vision Care Opticians 

07792 960416 

Mon: 2 – 7.30pm at Crisis Skylight; 

Alternate Wed 10am 

– 5pm at The Passage 

Free sight tests and spectacles 

PERFORMING ARTS 


66 Commercial St, E1 

020 7426 5661 

Mon–Thurs: 2pm–9.30pm 

AC, ET, IT, MC, P, PA 

Workshop programme from 

www.crisis.org.uk 

Cardboard Citizens 

020 7247 7747 

PA 


www.cardboardcitizens.org.uk 

Streets Alive Theatre Company 

(18 – 25 years old) 

Lambeth Mission, 3–5 

Lambeth Road, SE1 7DQ 

020 3242 0088 

PA 

www.streetsalive.org.uk 

Streetwise Opera 

020 7495 3133 

MC, PA 


www.streetwiseopera.org 

SOUP KITCHENS & SOUP RUNS 

All Saints Church 

Carnegie St, N1 

020 7837 0720 

Tues & Thurs: 10am–12pm 

Cooked breakfast


Westminster Drug Project 

474 Harrow road, London, W9 3RU 

020 7266 6200 

Mon–Fri: 10am – 12.30pm 

(appoinments and needleexchange); 

1–5pm (open access) 

EASTERN EUROPEANS 

Ania’s Poland Recruitment 

Agency 

31 Fallsbrook Rd, SW16 6DU 

020 8769 0509 

Ring for appointment 

East European Advice Centre 

Palingswick House, 241 

King Street, W6 9LP 

020 8741 1288 

Open weekdays 10am–12pm & 2– 

3pm, for appointments; closed Wed 

Ring for appointment 

UR4JOBS 

Upper Room, St Saviour Church, 

Cobbold Road,W12 9LN 

020 8740 5688 

Mon & Fri: 1–6pm; Tue, Wed 

& Thurs: 5.30 – 6.45pm (hot 

supper); Sat & Sun: 12.30 

– 1.45pm (hot lunch) 

Help in finding work and education 

Now available online at (ET, FF): 

www.ur4jobs.co.uk 

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING 

Dress for Success (Women) 

Unit 2, Shepperton Hse 

89–93 Shepperton Rd, N1 3DF 

020 7288 1770 

www.dressforsuccess.org 

Smart clothing for job interviews 

CL 

New Hanbury Project (SCT) 

3 Calvert Avenue, Shoreditch, E2 7JP 

020 7613 5636 

Courses in: personal development, 

life skills, woodwork, DIY, 

art, IT, guitar, Spanish, cooking 

OSW (London Bridge) 

4th Floor, The Pavilion 

1 Newhams Row, SE1 3UZ 

020 7089 2722 

CA, ET, IT 

ENTERTAINMENT & SOCIAL 

EVENTS 

ASLAN 

All Souls Church – Clubhouse 

Cleveland St 

020 7580 3522 

Sat eve: by invitation 

P 

Open House Film Club 

St Patrick’s Church, 21a 

Soho Square, W1D 4NR 

Every other Thursday 

from 03 April 08 

6pm: tea/coffee/toast; 6.15pm: 

special guest introduction/short 

film; 6.30pm: main film 

A friendly/social atmosphere, with 

regularly welcomes star guests 

FF, LA 

EX-FORCES 

AWOL? Call the ‘reclaim your life’ 

scheme from SSAFA 

01380 738137 (9am–10am) 

Veterans Aid 

40 Buckingham Palace Rd, Victoria 

020 7828 2468 

AS, BA, CL, P 

• Formerly the Ex-Service Fellowship 

Centre, and now much 

expanded – an essential service 

for ex-servicemen on the street. 

Veterans UK 

0800 169 2277 

Free help and advice for veterans 

and access to dedicated 

one-to-one welfare service. 

www.veterans-uk.info 

“That tuna isn’t dolphin friendly”


Waltham Forest Churches Night 

Shelter 

434 Forest Rd, Walthamstow 

E17 3HR 

020 8521 3941 

Ring or visit Mon–Fri: 10am–4pm 

Men 

Missionaries of Charity 

112–116 St Georges Rd, 

Southwark, SE1 

020 7401 8378 

Ring first, 9am–11am except Thurs 

Age 30+ (low support) 

St. Mungo’s (Ennersdale House) 

1a Arlington Close, Lewisham 

SE13 6JQ 

020 8318 5521 (ring first) 

Medium-support needs 

Women 

Church Army 

1–5 Cosway St, Westminster 

NW1 5NR 

020 7262 3818 

Ring first. Daily vacancies 

Home of Peace 

179 Bravington Rd, W9 3AR 

020 8969 2631 

Women only. Open access (dry) 

St Mungo’s 

2–5 Birkenhead St, WC1H 

020 7278 6466 

Young people (16–21) 

Centrepoint 

25 Berwick St, Westminster 

W1F 8RF 

020 7287 9134/5 

Ring first. Daily vacancies 

MASH 

8 Wilton Rd, Merton, SW19 2HB 

020 8543 3677 

Ring first 

DRUG / ALCOHOL SERVICES 

D, OL, MS, NE, SH 

Angel Drug Services Drop-in 

332c Goswell Rd, EC1V 7LQ 

0800 169 2679 

Mon–Fri: 2pm–5pm 

C, OB, MS, NE 

Blackfriars Road CDAT Team 

151 Blackfriars Rd, SE1 8EL 

020 7620 1888/ 6500 

Mon: 2pm–4pm (drop-in) 

MH, MS, NE 

Central and NW London 

Substance Misuse Service 

Crowther Market 

282 North End Rd, SW6 1NH 

020 7381 7700 

Mon–Fri: 9am–5pm 

C, MS 

Druglink 

103a Devonport Rd, Shepherds 

Bush, W12 8PB 

020 8749 6799 

Mon–Fri: 10am–5pm (needle 

exchange and telephone 

service); Mon & Fri: 2pm–5pm 

& Wed: 3pm–6pm (drop-in) 

C, D, OL, NE 

The Hungerford Drug Project 

(Turning Point) 

32a Wardour St, W1D 6QR 

020 7437 3523 

Mon–Fri: 2pm–5pm (drop-in); 

Sat & Sun: 11am–5pm; Antidote 

(lesbian, gay, bisexual and 

transgender drug/alcohol service) 

drop-in Thursday: 6– 8.30pm 

C, D, MH, P 

Needle Exchange Van 

White van, parked at bottom 

of Centrepoint Tower, Tottenham 

Court Road 

Mon–Fri: 4 - 7pm 

Soho Rapid Access Clinic 

Soho Centre for Health and Care 

1 Frith Street 

London 

W1D 3HZ 

020 7534 6687 

D, P 

Addaction (Harm Reduction 

Team) 

228 Cambridge Heath Rd, E2 

020 8880 7780 

Drop-in: Mon, Fri 10am–4pm; 

Tues, Wed & Thurs 12noon–6pm; 

Closed each day 1.30pm–2.15pm 

“Oi! You lookin’ at my birdie?”


Providence Row 

The Dellow Centre 

82 Wentworth St, 

Aldgate, E1 7SA 

020 7375 0020 

Mon–Fri: 9.15–11.30am (for 

rough sleepers) & 1.30–3.30pm 

(appointments & activities); Fri: 

3–4pm (for rough sleepers) 

A, BA, BS, CL, D, ET, F, H, L, MH, MS, P 

Rochester Row Day Centre 

97 Rochester Row, SW1 

020 7233 9862 

Mon & Fri: 5.30–8pm (appointments 

only); Tues: 2–4.30pm 

(art workshop); Wed and Thurs: 

5.30–8pm (drop-in); Thurs: 

1–5pm (benefits); Thurs & Fri 

2–4pm (English classes) 

AC, BA, BS, CL, ET, FF, P 

Shoreditch Community Project 

(SCT) 

St Leonard’s Church 

Shoreditch High St, E1 

020 7613 3232 

Mon & Wed; 9.30am– 

12.30pm; Tues: 2–4pm 

FF, BA, OL, P 

Simon Community House of 

Hospitality 

129 Malden Rd, Kentish Town, NW5 

Mon: 11am–4pm; Wed: 

12–5pm;Thursday: 12–6pm 

Spectrum Centre 

6 Greenland St, Camden 

Town, NW1 

020 7267 4937 

Mon–Fri: 9.30am–3pm 

A, BS, C, CL, D, FC, H, L, 

LS, MH, MS, P, TS 

Spires Centre 

8 Tooting Bec Gardens, SW16 1RB 

020 8696 0943 

Tues & Thurs: 9–10.30am (rough 

sleepers only), 10.30am–2pm (dropin); 

Wed: 10am–12noon (rough 

sleepers), 10am–1pm (adult learning 

centre); Fri: 10am–1pm (women 

only); Sun: 11.30am–3pm (drop-in) 

A, BA, CL, D, ET, FF, FC, 

H, MC, MH, MS, P 

Spitalfield’s Crypt Trust 

See Hanbury and Shoreditch 

Community Projects 

St Christopher’s Centre 

Lime Grove Resource Centre, 

47 Lime Grove, W12 

Please call for opening 

times: 020 8740 9182 

AC, BS, CA, ET, FC, IT, L, MS 

St Cuthbert’s Centre 

The Philbeach Hall 

51 Philbeach Gdns, Earls Court 

020 7835 1389 

Mon–Fri: 11.45am–3.45pm 

AC, BS, C, CL, F, H, IT, L, OL, P 

St Stephen’s Church 

The Manna 

17 Canonbury Rd, N1 2DF 

020 7226 5369 

Tues: 7–9pm (drop-in); Weds: 

1–3pm (drop-in – B and FC); Fri: 

10am–12noon (key work session) 

B, BS, CL, FC, FF, L, P 

The Tab Centre 

20 Hackney Rd, Shoreditch, E2 

020 7739 3076 

Friday: 9am–12.noon 

F 

Thames Reach 

See Hackney 180 First 

Contact & Advice 

Triumphant Church International 

136 West Green Rd 

South Tottenham, N15 5AD 

020 8800 6001 

Sun: 10–11am (open drop-in) 

AD, C, FF 

Union Chapel (Margins) 

Compton Terrace, Upper Street, N1 

020 7359 4019 

Sun: 3pm–5pm 

BS, CL, FF, HA, L, LA, LF, P 

Upper Holloway Baptist Church 

11 Tollington Way, N7 

020 7272 2104 

Mon: 10.30am–1.30pm 

CL, FF, LF 

Upper Room, St Saviour’s 

Cobbold Rd, W12 

020 8740 5688 

Mon–Thur: 5.30–6.45pm; 

Tue: 9.30–11.45am; Sat– 

Sun: 12.30 –1.30pm 

A, BA, C, CA, D, ET, FC, FF, H 

Webber Street (formerly Waterloo 

Christian Centre) 

6–8 Webber St, SE1 8QA 

020 7928 1677 

Mon–Sat: 9am–12noon 

B, BA, BS, CL, FF, H, MS, P 

West London Day Centre 

134–136 Seymour Place, W1H 

020 7569 5900 

Mon–Fri: 8.45–10am (rough sleeper’s 

drop-in): 10am–11.30am (dropin, 

hostel residents join): 11.45am– 

12.45pm (advice, appointments 

only); Mon & Thur: 1.30–3.30pm 

(drop-in for those with tenancies) 

AC, BA, BS, C, CL, F, IT, L, 

LS, MS, OL, P, SK, TS 

The Whitaker Centre 

91–93 Tollington Way, N7 

020 7272 8195 

Mon–Thurs: 9am–3pm 

Alcohol allowed 

BS, FF, L 

Whitechapel Mission 

212 Whitechapel Rd, E1 

020 7247 8280 

Daily: 6–11am (cooked 

breakfast 8am–10am) 

BS, CL, FF, MS, OL, P 

DIRECT ACCESS (YEAR ROUND) 

HOSTELS/ NIGHTSHELTERS 

All – low-support needs 

Livingstone House 

105 Melville Rd, Brent NW10 8BU 

020 8963 0545 

Ring first. Local connection only 

Redbridge Night Shelter 

16 York Rd, Ilford 

IG1 3AD 

020 8514 8958 

Ring first 

St Martin’s Night Centre 

12 Adelaide St, Westminster 

020 7766 5544 

10pm–7.30am 

Referral from St Martin’s 

Turnaround (Newham) 

Choral Hall 

020 7511 8377 

7.30pm–7.30am 

Referral from Choral 

Hall Day Centre


Chelsea Methodist Church 

Pastoral Care 

155a Kings Road, SW3 5TX 

020 7352 9305 

Mon: 9am–3.30pm; Tues & Thurs: 

8.30am–3.30pm (last laundry 

at 1pm); Fri: 9.30am–2pm 

F, L, P 

Choral Hall Lifeskills Centre 

310 Barking Rd, Plaistow, E13 

020 7511 8377 


A, BA, BS, C, CL, D, F, FC, L, M 

Church Army, Women’s Day 

Centre 

1–5 Cosway St, NW1 

020 7262 3818 

Mon–Thurs: 9.30am–12pm 

(advice); 12pm–3.30pm (drop-in); 

12 noon–1pm (sandwiches). 

AC, BA, BS, CA, CL, C, ET, FF, 

H, IT, L, LA, LF, MC, P 

Women only 

The Connection at St Martin’s 

12 Adelaide St, WC2 

020 7766 5544 

Mon–Fri: 9am–12.30pm (12pm 

Wed). Various afternoon sessions 

from 1pm (except Wed). Weekends: 

9am–1pm (no entry after 10.30am). 

There are also drop-in sessions on 

Tues & Thurs 4.30pm–7.30pm. 

A, AC, BA, BS, CA, CL, D, ET, F, FC, 

H, IT, MC, MH, MS, OB, P, SK, SS 

Croydon Resource Centre 

70a Wellesley Rd, Croydon, CR0 2AR 

020 8686 1222 

Mon–Fri: 10am –3pm 

AS, BA, CA, CL ET, F, IT, LA 

Cricklewood Homeless Concern 

020 8961 8599 

Homeless drop-in: 28a Fortunegate 

Rd, Craven Park, NW10 9RE 

Tues & Fri: 10am–2.30pm; 

Weds & Thurs: 12.30–2.30pm 

Mental health drop-in: in flat 

above St Gabriel’s Hall 

77 Chichele Rd, Cricklewood, 

NW2 3AQ 

Tues–Fri: 10am–12 noon. 

AC, BA, BS, H, IT, L, MS, OL 


See Performing Arts 

Deptford Churches Centre 

Speedwell St, Deptford 

020 8692 6548 

Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 

9am–3.30 pm 

A, AC, AD, AS, B, BA, BE, BS, C, 

CA, CL, D, DA, DT, ET, FF, H, L, 

LA, LF, MC, MH, MS, OL, SS, TS 

The Dunloe Centre 

St Saviour’s Priory, Dunloe Street, E2 

020 7739 9976/020 7613 3232 

Tues: 10.30am–12.30pm 

CL, FF 

Finsbury Park 

Street Drinkers Initiative 

See Whitaker Centre 

Hackney 180 First Contact & 

Advice (Thames Reach) 

Venue 1: 

Hackney Methodist Church 

219 Mare St, E5 

0208 985 6707 

Mon–Thurs: 8am–9.30am 

(breakfast club) 

Venue 2: 

St John’s at Hackney 

Lower Clapton Rd, E5 

Mon–Wed: 10.30am–12.30pm 

(advice service) & 1.30pm– 

3pm (appointments) 

BA, BS, CL, ET, F, H, IT, MS 

Hanbury Community Project (SCT) 

Details of their changes have been 

confirmed, and they’re now called 

the New Hanbury Project, and listed 

under Employment & Training. 

The Haven Club 

At the Holy Cross Centre 

(See below). 

Mon: 6pm–10pm 

For self-treating drug & alcohol 

users: no using on day or no entry 

Holy Cross Centre 

The Crypt, Holy Cross Church 

Cromer St, WC1 

020 7278 8687 

Mon: 2pm–5pm; Tues: 6–9pm; 

(ticket required) Thurs: 5–8pm 

(Italian speakers session); Fri: 

12 noon–3pm (refugees and 

asylum seekers session). 

AC, FF, H, IT, LA, LF, MH, P 

Homeless Action in Barnet (HAB) 

36B Woodhouse Road, N12 0RG 

020 8446 8400 

Mon – Fri: 12noon – 3pm (drop in); 

Mon, Tues & Thur: 9am – 12noon 

(rough sleepers only); Wed: 9am 

– 12noon (women’s group) 

AD, BA, BS, CL, F, H, L, TS 

Kings Cross Baptist Church 

Vernon Sq, W1 

020 7837 7182 

Mon; Fri: 11am–2pm; 

Tues: 11am–1pm 

FF, LF 

London Jesus Centre 

82 Margaret St, W1W 8LH 

Mon – Fri: 10am – 12.30pm 

BS, CL, F, IT, L, SK, P 

Manna Day Centre 

6 Melior St, SE1 

020 7403 1931 

Mon–Sun: 8.30am–1.30pm 

AD, B, BA, BS, CL, DT, FF, 

FC, H, MH, MS, P 

New Cross 999 Club 

All Saints, Monson Rd, SE14 

020 7732 0209 


AD, ET, FF, L, LA 

North London Action for the 

Homeless (NLAH) 

Church Hall, 24–30 Bouverie 

Rd, N16 

020 8802 1600 

Tue: 12pm–1.30pm; 

Thurs: 7–8.30pm 

BA, BS, CL, FF, P 

Our Lady Help of Christians 

Catholic Church 

4 Lady Margaret Road, NW5 2XT 

Mon – Sat; 2 – 3pm: Sun; 3 – 4pm 

FF, H, P 

The Passage (25+) 

St Vincent’s Centre, 

Carlisle Place, SW1P 

020 7592 1850 

Mon–Fri: 8am–12pm (for rough 

sleepers); 12–2pm (Lunch); 

2–6pm (appointments); 4.30–6pm 

(verified rough sleepers – by invitation); 

Sat–Sun: 9am–12noon. 

A, BA, CA, CL, D, ET, F, FC, 

H, IT, L, MH, MS, P, TS


(drop-in) Service for French-speaking 

refugees and asylum seekers 

BA, C, CA, FF, H 

ScotsCare (for Scots in London) 

37 King St, Covent 

Garden, WC2E 8JS 

Call the helpline on 0800 6522 989 

BA, CA, H, B, P, TS 

St Giles Trust 

64 Camberwell Church St, SE5 8JB 

020 7703 7000 

Mon–Fri: 9.30am–12.30pm 

A, BA, BS, D, ET, H, L, MH, MS, P, TS 

Women’s Link 

26 Hanbury St, E1 6QR 

0800 652 3167 (ring first) 

AS, H 

BENEFITS AGENCY 

Wedge House has closed and 

readers are directed to use local Job 

Centres, or visit a day centre that 

hosts JCP outreach staff. These are 

listed below by day, but contact 

individual centres for times: 

Mondays – The Passage; The 

Connections at St Martins; Holycross 

Centre; Rushworth Rolling 

Shelter; Guy’s Hospital Oncology 

Ward; Spectrum; Webber 

Street/Waterloo Christian Centre; 

HAGA; Compass Day Centre. 

Tuesday – St Thomas’ Hospital, 

In Patients; Westminster 

Rolling Shelter; The Connection 

at St Martin’s; Conway House 

(hostel); Anchor House (hostel); 

The Passage; Downview Prison; 

Look Ahead Day Centre. 

Wednesday – The Passage; Great 

Chapel Street Medical Centre; St 

Thomas’ Hospital, Lloyd Still ward; 

Cricklewood Homeless Concern; 

Parker Street (hostel); Crisis Skylight; 

Endsleigh Gardens (hostel); Dellow 

Centre (hostel); Brixton Prison. 

Thursday – Broadway Day Centre; 

Manna Centre; Great Chapel St 

Medical Centre; West London 

Day Centre; The Connection at 

St Martin’s; Rochester Row Day 

Centre; Whitechapel Mission; 

Deptford Churches Centre; 

Probation Service; Wandsworth 

prison; Focus Day Centre. 

Friday – The Passage; 

Cricklewood Homeless Concern; 

Endsleigh Gardens (hostel); 

The Connection at St Martin’s; 

Cedars Road (hostel); St Giles Day 

Centre; Cardinal Hume Centre 

(drop in); Waterloo Jobshop; 

Romford YMCA (hostel). 

All week – Brixton Prison; 

Wandsworth prison. 

See Telephone Services 

for helplines 

DAY CENTRES AND DROP-INS 

Ace of Clubs (16+) 

St Alphonsus Rd, Clapham, SW4 7AS 

020 7622 3196 

Sun, Mon &Tues: 2pm–6pm; 

Wed & Thurs: 12 noon–2pm; 

Fri & Sat: 12 noon–6pm 

BS, DT, F, FC, H, IT, L, MS, OB, P 

Acton Homeless Concern 

Emmaus House 

1 Berrymead Gardens, Acton 

020 8992 5768 

Call for opening times 

A, B, BA, CL, D, DT, ET, F, FC 

Aldgate Advice Centre 

See Providence Row (The 

Dellow Centre) 

Broadway Day Centre 

Market Lane, Shepherds Bush, W12 

020 8735 5810 

Mon–Fri: 10am – 1pm (dropin); 

2 – 4pm (Appointments) 

AD, A, BA, BS, CL, DA, D, ET, F, FC, H, 

IT, L, LA, MS, MH, ML, P, SK, SH, TS 

Bromley 999 Club 

424 Downham Way, 

Downham, BR1 5HR 

020 8698 9403 

Mon–Fri: 10am –5pm 

AD, L, FF


The directory of London’s homeless services 

Updated 2 nd April 2008 

Key to the list: 

Accom assistance – AS 

Advocacy – AD 

Alcohol workers – A 

Art classes – AC 

Barber – B 

Benefits advice – BA 

Bathroom/showers – BS 

Bedding available – BE 

Careers advice – CA 

Clothing – CL 

Counselling – C 

Debt advice – DA 

Dentist – DT 

Drugs workers – D 

Education/training – ET 

Free food – FF 

Food – F 

Foot care – FC 

Housing/accom advice – H 

Internet access – IT 

Laundry – L 

Leisure activities – LA 

Leisure facilities – LF 

Luggage stowage – LS 

Medical services – MS 

Mental health – MH 

Music classes – MC 

Needle exchange – NE 

Outreach worker links – OL 

Outreach workers – OB 

Pavement stockist – P 

Safe keeping – SK 

Sexual health advice – SH 

SSAFA – SS 

Tenancy support – TS 

The seasonal shelters are now 

closed, but, as we cut them from The 

List, we’re added more services to 

balance the loss. Most importantly 

this issue we’ve made a new section 

‘Entertainment & Social Events.’ 

If you’ve any changes or 

suggestions, email: 

thelist@thepavement.org.uk 

Or write to our address on page 3 

New Stockists: 2 

Updated entries: 2 

Services added: 6 

ADVICE SERVICES 

Borderline (for Scots) 

7–9 Belgrave Rd, SW1V 1QB 

0845 456 2344 (advice line) 

Mon–Fri: 9.30am–10.30am (drop-in 

advice service); 9.30am–4.30am 

(appointments). Closed Wed pm 

A, BA, C, CL, D, H, MH, P 

Bridge Resource Centre 

Bridge Close, Kingsdown 

Close, W10 6TW 

0208 960 6798 

CA, ET, IT, P 

The Caravan Drop-In 

St James’s Church, 197 

Piccadilly, W1 

Open daily: Sat – Mon; 10am 

– 7pm: Tues – Fri; 11am – 7pm 

A friendly ear to listen, with 

some access to counselling 

C, P 

CHAS (Central London) 

19–20 Shroton St, NW1 6UG 

020 7723 5928 

By appointment only 

BA, DA, H 

HOPE worldwide / Two Step 

360 City Road, EC1V 2PY 

020 7713 7655 

Mon–Fri 10am–4pm 

(appointments only) 

AS, H, TS, P 

KCAH 

36a Fife Rd, KT1 1SU 

020 8255 2439 

BA, FF, H 

London Irish Centre 

50–52 Camden Sq, NW1 9XB 

020 7916 2222 

Ring for service times 

A, BA, C, CL, D, ET, H, MC 

No 10 – Care Advice Service 

10 Princess St 

Oxford Circus, W1C 2DJ 

020 7629 5424 

Wed: 6.30pm–8pm (drop in – 18+) 

BA, C, CA, ET, H 

Notre Dame Refugee Centre 

5 Leceister Pl, WC2H 7BX 

020 7434 1619 

Mon and Thurs: 11am–4pm

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