Transport for London (TfL) and Arriva Rail partnered with national homelessness charity Crisis to fundraise for World Homeless Day along the new Mildmay Overground line.
On 10 October, the costs of all hot drinks bought at cafes at Camden Road, Gospel Oak, Hackney Central, Highbury & Islington and Shepherd’s Bush London Overground stations were donated to Crisis, of up to £1,000 per station.
The stations form part of the Stratford to Richmond/Clapham Junction London Overground line to be renamed later this year in honour of the charitable Mildmay Hospital, which has provided stabilisation and recovery-focused care to homeless people since April 2020.
Volunteers from Crisis will also fundraise at stations along the line, and TfL and Arriva Rail London will make a joint donation of £5,000 to Crisis to further support the charity and raise awareness.
Director of Rail Services at TfL Trish Ashton said: “We hope our activities will not only help to raise thousands of pounds to support the vital work Crisis does to support people experiencing homelessness across London and the UK, but will encourage our customers to think about how they can also support homeless charities.”
Rob Halkyard, Executive Director of Brand, Marketing and Fundraising at Crisis expressed his gratitude for the fundraising and praised Mildmay Hospital for their continuous support and rehabilitation efforts for people facing homelessness.
He said: “It’s very special to be fundraising on a line named after a hospital that tackles the health inequalities of some of the most marginalised people in society.
“The generous donations we receive from people travelling along the line will help us to continue our vital work to support people to leave homelessness behind and ensure that one day we see it ended for good.”
Mildmay is the first specialist unit to provide a step-down, rehabilitative healthcare programme for homeless people.
It aims to support patients during and after treatment by providing therapy, nursing and medical care, and ensuring further support from special homelessness and social care charities after discharge.
The Mayor of London has also committed £10 million to put an end to rough sleeping in London, by commissioning homelessness charity St Mungo’s to provide No Second Night Out (NSNO) hubs.
These hubs aim to ensure homeless people do not sleep on the streets for more than one night and support an extra 1,700 rough sleepers to be quickly assessed and rehoused annually.
There are four hubs across London, open 24 hours a day for 365 days a year.
TfL’s safeguarding also provides widespread support across the capital to help homeless people by assessing reports of rough sleeping and putting rough sleepers in contact with support services including St Mungo’s, Spear London, Thames Reach, CGL, Shelter and The Passage.
World Homeless Day is celebrated on 10 October every year, with the aim to raise awareness about homelessness, and work towards reducing the amount of people who sleep rough on our streets.
This year marks the 15th annual World Homeless Day.
Trust for London estimates that the number of people sleeping rough in London has risen from 8,329 in 2021/22 to 11,993 in 2023/24, with this marked increase often attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic struggles of recent years.
To donate to Crisis visit https://www.crisis.org.uk or for homelessness support visit TfL’s website.
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