A homelessness initiative relaunched on 6 November with the aim of delivering vital support to the borough’s homeless.
Rough Sleep Recovery Sessions will take place every Thursday from 10:30am to 12:30pm until March at the New Kingshold Community Centre.
The sessions are run by a local organisation Co-Create and offer clothes, bedding, food, activities, and advice on health and wellbeing.
Hackney councillor Penny Wrout said, “This is exactly how our Community Centres in Hackney should be utilised.”
“It means people are signposted to what’s right for them – and often they’ll have the chance to tune into several different services to give their lives a proper boost,” she added.
Co-Create founder Krista Brown described the piloted event last year as a “drop in the water in comparison to now.”
“We’re super excited to be hosting this over the next four months. The idea is that [homeless] people can come in and get all the support they need, from free haircuts to support from charities [such as] Stop Smoking London and Turning Point UK.
“You’ll also be able to finish the sessions and get a hot lunch which we thought was really important, especially over winter,” she added. “As the weather worsens, the numbers will get higher… but 12 people attended the first session.”
Turning Point, a health and social care charity, provided £2,500 toward the initiative through their Project Innovation Fund.
Councillor Christopher Kennedy said, “Rough Street Recovery Sessions is exactly the kind of person-centred initiative that helps people take positive steps in their lives that lead them away from homelessness.
“I’m delighted that the Turning Point Project Innovation Fund has put their trust in Co-Create and Krista Brown,” he added.
Joshua Haining is a freelance news reporter for The Daily Telegraph. He has written previously written for The Times and The Northern Echo, where he reported on news and culture.