Changes at St Luke's centre, Wincott Street

The West London Mission own the St Luke’s building and for the last few years it has been the home of ’The Haven’ a registered care home for men with chronic alcohol dependency. At the end of March The Haven is moving to a new site in Islington. Once The Haven have moved on to North London, West London Mission will be renting the building to Thames Reach as a temporary location for their hostel which is normally based in Waterloo. The hostel will be based in Kennington until the beginning of September while the hostel in Waterloo is refurbished.

Who are Thames Reach?
Thames Reach is a London- based charity helping homeless and vulnerable people to find decent homes, build supportive relationships and lead fulfilling lives. Their long term vision is to not only end street homelessness but also offer real opportunities for vulnerable adults to become a part of a strong community through volunteering, training and employment.

What does the Stamford Street Hostel do?
Stamford Street hostel is a mixed hostel which houses people who have been homeless and who have a local connection to the London Borough of Lambeth. They work with residents to improve their quality of life and help them to find suitable long term housing. The hostel will be staffed by a professional team who are on site 24 hours a day with a minimum of two staff in the building at all times. The project also has a dedicated team of psychologists who are based on site supporting and guiding residents to make positive changes in their life style.

Relationship with the local community
The hostel wants to develop strong links with the community and be open and transparent about how they manage the hostel. They have developed a local management plan which will include daily walks around the area to ensure we aware of any issues, liaison with the local stores about alcohol sales and would also welcome monthly meetings with the local neighbours to discuss any issues and to keep you abreast of our work. The hostel team are committed to work closely and sensitively with our neighbours. If our residents behave anti-socially they will deal with this in a robust manor, and involve the authorities where this is appropriate. They will always respond promptly to concerns raised and will take action to manage any problems. They will be working closely with the Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team and we have already met with the Lambeth Area Crime Reduction Manager, Hannah Wadey, about their move and how they can ensure minimal disruption to the neighbourhood.

A meeting has already been held with local residents who have been provided with contact details for the people running the centre.