24 November 2006
To mark the 40th anniversary of Cathy Come Home, Kate Hoey MP, councillors and members of the local community visited a Thames Reach hostel for the homeless in Lambeth earlier this week.
The visit was arranged to show those living and working locally how the hostel, Graham House, supports some of the most needy people in society.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, 17 December at 9pm, BBC One is screening a new drama, Born Equal, which looks at homelessness in the 21st century. It stars Colin Firth, Anne-Marie Duff and Robert Carlyle, and also features cameo performances from people who use our services.
Attendees on the Graham House tour looked around the project and spoke to residents. They also met with Thames Reach Chief Executive Jeremy Swain and Kate Hoey to discuss how hostels have changed over the last 40 years and the challenges they face today.
Cathy Come Home, the landmark BBC television play directed by Ken Loach, told the story of a young mother who fell on hard times. After living in various squalid temporary accommodations, she ended up on the streets with her children forcibly taken into care.
The programme was watched by nearly 12 million viewers, and starkly brought the issues of poverty and homelessness into the public consciousness.
Forty years on, much has improved, but there is still a lot to be done to end the injustice of homelessness, with over 250 people sleeping rough in London each night.
The physical conditions of hostels have vastly improved, with many having been refurbished or, like Graham House, newly built. Single rooms rather than dormitories are now the norm.
Residents are no longer given just a bed for the night, but are provided with individual support to make sure their long-term needs are met. There is also a new focus on providing people with life skills training, social activities and access to education and work opportunities.
To cope with the changing and complex needs of homeless people, many hostels have linked up with mental health and drug and alcohol services.
Jeremy Swain said: “There have been fundamental changes to hostels in London over the last 15 years which have helped tens of thousands of homeless people to lead more purposeful, productive and fulfilling lives. No longer do people have to fester in the type of substandard accommodation more reminiscent of a Victorian workhouse.
“There are still many challenges ahead. Hostels can do more, and better, for the most needy people in society. Our focus now is on a mixture of necessary crisis intervention – helping people with addiction problems – and on getting people into training and work to help them become self-sufficient.”
Another issue facing hostels is that, although many residents are ready to move into a place of their own, the lack of low-cost social housing means there is nowhere for them to go. Thames Reach’s ‘No vacancies’ campaign calls on local councils to free up more permanent homes for vulnerable people.
For more information on the issues facing hostels in the twenty-first century, see our research report, ‘Far More Than a Bed’.
Find out how you can help support our hostel residents this Christmas and in the year ahead
