When I came to work in the parish I was pretty ignorant about the extent of homelessness on our streets. I was speedily brought up to date, not least by the three ‘gentlemen of the road’ who lived in the churchyard. And I do mean lived. Two of them had their ‘homes’ with us, one in a chest tomb, the other in the columbarium, and were there for many years – hostels were not for them. ‘They’re dangerous – you catch things – they’re violent – they don’t let you drink’ and so on were their excuses for preferring the outdoor life. But of course they were very aware of what amenities were available to them – where to go for clothes, for a wash, for a meal – and for the best Christmas Dinner in London, which was given at the Contact Club in Heath Street. Alas, two of our ‘gentleman’ have since died but the Contact Club is still going strong.
What does the Contact Club do?
John Barker, who helps there on their rota, reports that “some of the men…..have been coming for 20 or 30 years”. Not all of the 30 – 40 members are homeless and a few women amongst them but the need is as great as ever. John goes on to say “the helpers (there are 3 on each evening) bring sandwiches, and there are sachets of soup and vast quantities of tea (including herbal) and coffee, biscuits and fruit…… In the second hour someone comes with cake or yogurt. At the end leftover sandwiches are put into foil bundles and given out to anyone who wants them. “
What can you do?
We have from time to time given them clothing (the need at the moment, with winter approaching, seems to be for shoes rather than clothing) and at least two of our parish are on the rota but, as with any other rota, they could do with more help. The lcub is open from 8 – 10pm every Sunday evening and the helpers do an hour.
If you’d like to hear more why not talk to John Barker? Or email him [email protected]
The Best Christmas Dinner in London
Judy East