The Perspective @ Heart of London
As part of our quarterly insights events programme, Heart of London will be focusing on homelessness and business. With a thought-provoking panel discussion on tackling the issue on our streets and how your business can play its part.
Four new people become homeless on the streets of Westminster every day. We all constantly pass people living on the street and sadly homelessness has become an almost ingrained and normalised part of our society. Earlier this year the government unveiled its £100m strategy to tackle rough sleeping on England’s streets and it vowed to end rough sleeping by 2027. Undoubtedly this is an important commitment, but I believe Government funding alone cannot solve such a complex issue and we all have a role to play in a bid to tackle homelessness.
This is why Heart of London Business Alliance is holding an informative breakfast briefing for our members on practical action we can all take as part of the local business community to impact on the issue of homelessness.
Chaired by Paul Morrish, Chief Executive at LandAid, on the 24 October we will discuss what businesses and us as people who live, work and visit London’s West End can do right now to support this important cause.
Joining the debate are Cllr Ian Adams and Homeless Commissioner Robert White from Westminster City Council who will outline the local situation and what is being done. We will also be joined by Petra Salva from St Mungo’s and Charlotte Talbott from The Connection, charity organisations that undertake vital outreach services on the streets in the heart of London.
The event will highlight to our members that there are practical, tangible, immediate actions they can take today to make a difference and tackle this growing issue.
These include downloading the StreetLink App or calling 0300 500 0914 to make sure people have the choice of where they sleep tonight. This number and service is a collaborative effort from StreetLink and St Mungo’s to give those on the streets every option possible to regain control of their lives.
Furthermore, TAP London, an innovative Giving Ecosystem, is being rolled out throughout Westminster, fully supported by Heart of London, this service will allow Londoners to TAP to donate money to charity. In addition to donating through TAP, businesses can install one of TAP’s static units on their premises.
Moreover, it is crucial that with such a deep-rooted and complex issue we continue to educate and discuss the topic of homelessness. In partnership with The Connection, our Lunch and Learn workshop, will explore how employees from our member businesses can play a positive role in engaging with rough sleepers, report concerns and obtain an overview of the day-to-day work of the Outreach teams. Sign up here.
If we want to truly act to end homelessness it is imperative that we rethink our approach and recognise the role we all need to play and the responsibility that we should all share.
Yours sincerely,
Ros Morgan
Chief Executive
Heart of London Business Alliance