Thurrock Nub News has exposed real concerns about the welfare of homeless people in the borough and the way their situation and care has been managed. In our exclusive interview with a local charity founder we discover a number of concerns and a real sense of disappointment and frustration. We have invited Thurrock Council to comment on a number of occasions over the past two months but have been met with a wall of silence.

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THE well-respected founder of a Thurrock-based charity for the homeless has spoken of his concerns that the welfare of some men and women is being put at risk because of a lack of co-ordination and support.

For more than three and half years Purfleet couple Cheryl and Steven Stuart have been a driving force behind the charity they founded – The Friends of Essex and London Homeless.

Formed in 2016 the charity began by helping homeless people in London, but as it grew in terms of numbers of service users and attracted more social media followers and support it allowed the charity to expand its role and has proved a big hit helping those without homes in Thurrock.

In December 2018 that role saw the launch of a soup kitchen in Grays, which proved to be so successful it became a permanent fixture and a hugely important part of the lives of homeless people and others who were struggling to survive in the borough.

Its impact was substantial, as CEO & Trustee Steve recalls: "What was most noticeable was the interaction between all the volunteers and the service users. There was lots of good conversations laughter and general help and interaction

"The atmosphere was so electric with most hanging around to chat whilst they ate and just feeling some love and worth which really made me smile. A trust began to develop between the volunteers and the people in need."

That trust and knowledge was something that Steve believed could be hugely important earlier this year as the country began to reel under the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

It was not long before the government came up with an edict asking local authorities to shelter homeless people and get them off the street into a safe environment.

And initially, Thurrock Council looked to Steve and the FOELH charity to help them, because of their strong local knowledge and bonds of friendship with many of the homeless people in Thurrock.

Helping locally

And Steve says the charity was willing to do whatever it could locally, because its work in London was curtailed by Covid-19 and the social distancing rules. "When all this started on 23 March, we realised we couldn't go to London and distribute food, because however we did it, it would create a large gathering and that would be a problem," he said.

So, the focus turned on helping those close at hand.

"We felt confident initially that the people we were dealing with were off the street. The council found places for them to stay but that was it, the next question was feeding them and supporting them as the did not have any access to cooking facilities. All that was on offer was one communal microwave and a small fridge

"We had some great local support, for instance we were approached by Saga – who had docked their cruise ships at Tilbury and who had a substantial amount of food on board which they were willing to distribute locally to those in need.

"For instance, we were supplied with 4,000 litres of long-life milk which we were able to distribute further afield to organisations like Thurrock Foodbank and Foodbanks in Havering and Brentwood and they also did various food drop offs to Thurrock and Havering care homes as well as numerous key workers in the borough

"But we had a growing concern about the local homeless who had been put up in a hostel in North Stifford but were not being, in FOELH's opinion, correctly and fully supported. It was a problem that I don't think was thought through enough by the council who in their defence were dealing with a huge amount of issues due to Covid19 and with our experience in the homeless sector maybe they could of trusted our knowledge a little more

"Teresa O'Keefe at Thurrock Big Local became involved and they have been really kind to us, offering lots of support and we cannot thank her enough and look forward to working together in the future. The Chair of Riverside Community Big Local, Andrew Blakey, and Neil Woodbridge, CEO of Thurrock Lifestyle Solutions, were also people who came to the fore, we were offered use of one of their buildings in Derry Avenue in South Ockendon, to use as a store.

"And along with Teresa and one of FOELH senior team volunteer Anthony, we organised cooks, volunteers and business to help cook and deliver one hot meal a day to the people who had been taken off the streets.

"You can't just take them out of one environment and place then into a completely new one and expect everything to be ok"

"But it is not just about feeding them, it's about the support all round. This was a strange and unique situation for the homeless, I think at this point there were about 14 people at the hostel, which if I am honest is a really strange place for them to be as it's not the normal environment for them so they needed a lot of help and adjustment mentally and physically

"Because of the nature of these people, and the back stories about how they came to be in the situation they are in, you can't just take them out of one environment and place then into a completely new one and expect everything to be ok.

"These people are eligible for benefits but that that will not solve the situation. It certainly does not guarantee that they will get fed. We are not dealing with 'ordinary' people, but people with troubles and problems who struggle to manage.

"We worked out how best to manage the situation, which was by delivering each of them with a bagful of provisions once a week, they also in addition to this were receiving a cooked meal daily. We proposed supplying a breakfast and lunch at a cost of £5 per person per day but unfortunately the council thanked us but had decided we were no longer required for the additional service but were happy to keep the daily hot meals in place

"The council decided to use St Mungo's charity to take over with any additional needs. We are not precious about what we do, and we recognise that there are other charities and other solutions, but the way this was done left us feeling a little bit pushed aside.

[H2] "I just think they were looking for someone who maybe did not push back or challenge the situation"[H2]

"To be fair, the director of adult services, Roger Harris, responded to an email we sent regarding how we felt, and he took the time and trouble to respond to me. Credit, where credit is due for that, but I just think they were looking for someone who maybe did not push back or challenge the situation that the homeless people in Thurrock are in.

"I cannot say I feel overly happy about the way all this has been handled and I do have some real concerns for the homeless in Thurrock.

"Hopefully, we will soon be able to be back on the streets with the soup kitchen at Gray's Baptist Church so we can re-establish contact and find out what the situation is. This has now been confirmed at Friday, 12 June

We really hope once we are free of the current restrictions Thurrock Council will look to make contact and see if we are able to work with them again and create a stronger partnership?"

St Mungo's has been working with Thurrock to provide accommodation services 'to help peopl at every stage of their recovery from homelessness'.

It runs one of its eight Housing First schemes in Thurrock with a hostel in Charles Street in Gray's, but it has often been the subject of concern over standards of cleanliness and care, with some concerns reflected in the media.

Thurrock Nub News first contacted Thurrock Council about what its plans were for the borough's homeless on 31 March, shortly after the government instructed it to act.

We are still awaiting a response.

In part of a digital newsletter in May, Thurrock Council's leading councillor for housing, Cllr Barry Johnson, referenced the homeless when he said: "We have provided accommodation for 37 people who were either sleeping rough or at risk of becoming a rough sleeper. Every one of those 37 people now has a roof over their head thanks to the action we have taken."

We immediately asked (16 May) the council to qualify that number.

We asked: "We would be grateful if you could give clarification of the figure 37 quoted by Cllr Johnson.

"What period is this over and what ongoing support and care does the council offer after the people are invited to leave the streets?

"What future plans does the council have for their care?"

We have had no response.

You can find out more about the Friends of London and Essex Homeless and how to support their work here.