Advice and support for homeless community at borough fair
Free haircuts, pet check-ups, housing advice, hot meals, and clothes and toiletries were just some of the things on offer at a fair for the borough’s rough sleepers, homeless and vulnerably-housed, organised to coincide with World Homeless Day.
More than 130 people attended the Greenhouse Fair, held at Greenhouse GP Practice, in Tudor Road, on Friday 8 October, which saw scores of guests vaccinated against both Covid and the flu, and given health checks, including bowel screenings.
On hand on the day were also housing, and welfare and wellbeing professionals who provided advice and practical support for attendees. The event preceded World Homelessness Day, on Sunday October 10, which aims to draw attention to people who experience homelessness and provide opportunities for the wider community to get involved in responding to homelessness.
I am delighted so many of the borough’s homeless were able to attend the fair, which aims to be both a friendly day out, full of fun and freebies, as well as a place for the community to access practical help and solutions to some of their needs.
It’s so important we get experts from across the board working together to support some of the borough’s most vulnerable people at a time when they need us most.
The event follows a successful first winter fair held in December, and was for people living in hostels or supported accommodation; sleeping rough; people who spend a significant amount of time on the street or in other public places; and for the ‘hidden homeless’, such as people in squats or ‘sofa surfers’.
The day was organised or supported by: Greenhouse Health, Welfare and Housing Advice Centre; Hackney Council; Thames Reach homeless charity; Street Vet; Well Street Common Primary Care Network; Groundswell; and Hackney Faith Forum.