999 Club’s Deptford-based homeless shelter marks 1 year since it opened on World Homeless Day
BY TOBY PORTER
toby@slpmedia.co.uk
A homeless shelter marked a year since it started opening throughout the seasons on World Homeless Day yesterday.
New figures show that the 999 Club’s Deptford-based shelter provided emergency respite from the streets for 185 men and women who were homeless during the nine months from September 2018 until May 2019.
This was possible through volunteers, who gave up 1,160 hours of their own time to work with the charity, and 6,680 staff hours over the same period.
This comes at a time when the latest official records show more homeless people than ever are dying.
An estimated 726 homeless people in England and Wales died in 2018 – up 22 per cent on the previous year, and the highest ever rise since reporting began in 2013, according to the Office for National Statistics.
One fifth of all deaths of homeless people were in London, with five people in the borough of Lewisham reported to have died.
Through the 999 Club’s night shelter and wraparound services at its gateway drop-in day centre, the charity empowers people who are homeless and vulnerably housed to take the first steps off the street and to rebuild their lives.
Every person admitted to the night shelter is holistically supported to find sustainable, more permanent accommodation through a named case manager who works with them around housing, benefits and employability to enable them to learn new skills and find work.
A GP, general nurse and a mental health nurse all visit weekly to provide healthcare and, in addition to meals, laundry and shower facilities, people can use computers for job searches, benefit claims and to contact family and friends.
Through its gateway centre and night shelter, the 999 Club works with nearly 1,000 homeless or vulnerably housed people a year.