Introduction from Pastor Maurice Ekwugha of Fruits of Righteousness
Postal address: Fruits of Righteousness M73 GBN, 210 Church Road, London E10 7JQ
Tel: 07961 969000, Email: fruitsor@gmail.com
We need your help to mark World Homeless Week, which will take place in Stratford Shopping Centre between 5th to 10th October 2019 from 7pm on each day.
We will launch World Homeless Week on three days of that week, Saturday 5th, Monday 7th and Thursday 10thof October as ‘official’ days, which is an opportunity to create a new awareness movement about homelessness, recognise the numerous unsung volunteers, groups and charities that give their time and raise funds to meet the needs of the homeless throughout Newham, and to mobilise groups and charities and the public across the UK starting in Stratford with the message that together we can end homelessness in Stratford and the UK by ensuring homes for the homeless and support them through any personal challenges.
We have invited Newham Mayor, Rokhsani Riaz OBE to help us launch World Homeless Week.
Individuals, groups and charities already provide one or more homeless service for people throughout each week in the Stratford Centre, including food, clothes, hairs cuts, manicures, housing advice or information etc. to the homeless and rough sleepers and to people who have other needs, such as financial. But it is the recognition of World Homeless Week that will further help provide a voice for the homeless who often only have time to look out for the next meal and somewhere to get some sleep.
We believe together, through the awareness of World Homeless Week, we are able to send a strong, coordinated message that urgent action by the government and local councils everywhere in the UK, to ensure the homeless are given priority and a safe, secure, accommodation, but that need is always today as tomorrow could easily be too late, especially in the winter seasons when temperatures can drop below zero and the clothes the homeless wear cannot guarantee protection from the cold. Presently, scores of men and women, who are eligible for social or council housing but cannot get them are caught in a cycle of homelessness and hopelessness, with little choice but to sleep rough in Stratford Shopping Centre or on the streets in tents and other places in Newham, with the threat they will be moved on by police.
By launching World Homeless Week in Stratford Shopping Centre, we will have started a new movement calling upon businesses, the unions, groups, charities, mosques, churches, the public and other stakeholders to work together to bring to bear the failure of the UK government and councils to do the right thing and ensure ‘homes for all’, especially the homeless. The blight of homelessness must end now.
For further information about how people and groups can be part of the new movement for World Homeless Week to end homelessness and provide homes for all, please contact Reverend Maurice on the above email address or visit the Fruits of Righteousness website (also above).
Our report includes interviews with some of the homeless people sleeping in the Stratford Centre and volunteers from the organisations giving them food and supporting them.
See also our earlier interview with Sukhjit Ahluwalia of the charity Seva Street.
Other useful links: Hope 4 Newham (Facebook), Nishkam Swat and PL84U AL-SUFFA.
The music used in the piece is: Joan Baez – There But For Fortune, Ralph McTell – Streets of London, Bob Marley – Everythings Gonna Be Alright and Sam Chatmon – Make Me A Pallet On the Floor.
