Croydon community cafe deals with Christmas homelessness spike
By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter
A Croydon community café says it’s seeing ‘all kinds of people’ come through its doors as homelessness continues to spike over the Christmas period.
South Norwood Community Kitchen (SNCK), a pay-if-you-can café that offers housing support, has served more than 19,700 meals this year. But volunteers say they ‘need five of these in each community’ to start addressing Croydon’s homelessness issue.
Armand, a French citizen, represents a side of homelessness that SNCK and organisations like it are encountering more and more. Before Brexit, mechanical design engineer Armand would come to the UK to ply his trade, yet this has become more complicated since 2020.
Despite having 25 years of experience in France, Armand must now pass an engineering exam to ensure his continued employment. The exam is provided in the UK, so he made the journey to complete it.
He said: “I couldn’t get that in France. Before Brexit I used to come here a lot for work, but now they have denied me. When I first arrived in Croydon, I was sleeping on the streets and even in Lloyd Park for a bit. I had never done anything like that before.”
The EU settlement status that previously would have been available to Armand was no longer an option. As a result, he was put in touch with of one of Croydon’s squatter groups and eventually housed in the former offices of Croydon’s failed housing builder, Brick by Brick.
Armand said: “It was a place I could rest, read and charge my phone. At least I wasn’t on the streets.”
But, Croydon council’s zero tolerance for squatting soon saw Armand forced back onto those streets. By chance, he came into contact with another of Croydon’s community ventures.
He said: “I was sleeping on the streets in South Norwood at the time. A street cleaner approached me, gave me some money and told me to go to the kitchen if I needed help.
“So I did. The food was great, and the people are so helpful. I can study here for my exam in peace.”
Armand continues studying for his exam and hopes to return to France to see his family when it is completed.
Dion has always lived near the SNCK. She first walked through the café’s doors in May, following years of precarious living, drug use and a brief spell in jail.
She now uses the experiences she got from living in hostels to help support those coming through SNCK’s doors, but says that period of her life left an impression on her.
She said: “Some people choose to be on the streets because they feel safer there, some of these hostels are scary places. They put me in a hostel with raging alcoholics when I was homeless. It was so hard to get away from that life when there’s these guys who want to drink with you in the morning, I was trying to escape that.”
Fellow SNCK volunteer Hugo said council-supported sheltered accommodation like this can often exacerbate people’s most destructive tendencies. He went as far as calling Croydon council-run Palmer House ‘a paradise for drug addicts’.
SNCK’s project lead Emma Gardiner said the problem in Croydon was growing despite their constant efforts, and it’s only set to worsen over Christmas.
Emma said: “We’ve been seeing more and more new faces as the weather has gotten colder and we reach Christmas. This year’s fundraiser was for our hardship programme – making sure people can get what they need quickly when other routes are not an option, as is often the case, whether that’s a couple of nights in a hotel, a mobile phone or an Oyster top-up.
“Communities like ours need to take care of each other first and foremost, and this year we’ve shown how that mutual care model can actually work.”
A spokeswoman for Croydon council said: “Croydon council is committed to addressing homelessness and rough sleeping in the borough. We recognise the importance of working with key partners, such as Street Link to provide effective support to vulnerable residents when they need it most.
“Alongside these partnerships, we have our own dedicated Outreach Team that works directly with individuals experiencing rough sleeping. This team actively engages with people on the streets, providing tailored support and advice, and helping them access the services they need.
“We also provide accommodation through services like Palmer House, which supports single residents with a range of complex needs and provides tailored help to address these challenges. We understand that supporting people with complex needs requires a sensitive and personalised approach, and we regularly review and adapt our services with our partners to make sure they are effective and meet residents’ needs.”
A link to the SNCK Christmas fundraiser can be found here.
Pictured top: Armand previously squatted in the former Brick by Brick premises on George Street (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga)