Thousands are predicted to become homeless in the coming months as London-based charity Glass Door launches an animated film showing how people become homeless, narrated by actor Colin Firth. As Colin says “Homeless people have stories to share and value to give society. Glass Door helps them create a life, not just an existence.”
The film tells the real stories of five individuals who have recently become homeless. They all turned to Glass Door after being unable to find support elsewhere. They are all called Alex, but their stories are all different.
One of the Alex’s (not his real name) was homeless last Christmas. He lost his wife to cancer and his business during the pandemic. “It was the first time in over 30 something years I was alone at Christmas… It’s the loneliness that gets to you,” the former captain in the army, recalls. He adds: “Two days later I moved into the Glass Door hostel project. I could take a shower and go downstairs to eat a meal. But even more importantly, I could talk to someone. Staff were so helpful. I felt like someone again.”
Glass Door seeks donations to its Christmas Appeal to give the homeless a room, meals and access to support this Christmas and throughout the cold winter:
£32 gives someone an individual room and three meals for the day;
£85 provides ten support sessions with a specialist caseworker to hone a CV, prepare for interviews and find employment;
£218 funds a “move-on” package with support sessions and a deposit to top-up to move into a stable accommodation;
£960 fund a guest’s stay for an entire month in the Glass Door hostel.
For more information visit : https://www.glassdoor.org.uk
The number of people who are becoming newly homeless is rising. Data from the CHAIN database, which records information on rough sleepers, indicated more than 11,000 people were seen sleeping rough in London last year, a 3% increase on the previous year. This year, government has less funding to support rough sleepers and with the end of eviction protection measures plus rises in the cost of living, many predict the number of people needing support out of homelessness will skyrocket.
For the second year, Glass Door is running an “own-room” accommodation service located in Central London. This service provides individual rooms to about 55 guests who can stay 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the central London accommodation. The cost to provide someone with their own room and three meals is £32 a day. The accommodation project, which is run in partnership with LHA London Ltd (which provides affordable accommodation to young people either studying or working in the Capital), opened on 15 November and will remain open until early May.
Guests staying at the hostel are being supported by trained caseworkers to help them find routes out of homelessness. Through these specially adapted and COVID-compliant services, guests can access food, health checks and other essentials such as toiletries, socks and clothes.
Lucy Horitz, CEO of Glass Door says: “This year, we have witnessed an increase in people turning to us who are at risk of becoming homeless. We will do all we can to prevent that from happening. But for those who have no other options, Glass Door can provide a warm, safe place to stay.”
