As you walk into St John’s parish centre in Southall, directly opposite London’s largest Sikh temple, the smell of homecooked soup instantly fills your nostrils. Jyoti Kujur, who’s been working with homeless people in this area for a decade, is standing over the stove, throwing vegetables from her allotment into an enormous pan. “We provide soup, sandwiches and samosas for homeless people every week,” she says. “But most importantly, we offer face-to-face help.” This is Hope for Southall Street Homeless (HSSH), and until the start of the pandemic, it ran a night shelter for up to 20 rough sleepers. Today, the focus is on providing food, friendship and life-changing care, and advice at a regular drop-in session.
No options, little hope
There are officially more than 8,000 rough sleepers in London, and Southall has a high concentration of homeless people from diverse backgrounds. Many have ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF), so they’re not entitled to any benefits. They’re people who arrived from places like India – sometimes looking for work, sometimes trafficked here – and all left with a stark choice when things didn’t work out: return to their home nation, if they can, or end up on the streets. It means the people who come to HSSH are among the most entrenched rough sleepers in London – often with nowhere left to turn.
Guests enjoy a hot meal and some respite from the cold outside © HSSH
In from the cold
As the guests (all men, including many who are elderly) start arriving, Jyoti and fellow HSSH worker Margarida Pires, busy themselves serving tea and coffee.
They are efficient, pragmatic and kind, greeting each new arrival warmly by name. Most of the men sleep immediately outside the church and look cold and tired as they step through the doorway. But here, not only are the men fed, they can also access vital services. Agencies that help with accommodation, health and benefits all set up desks in the church for the afternoon. Jyoti and Margarida usher the men between appointments, explaining back stories, translating into first languages, and reassuring them as they go.
Jyoti Kujur & Margarida Pires of HSSH preparing the hot food for the daily guests © HSSH
‘One more saved’
It’s a painstaking process to get the men back on their feet. But it happens – often solely thanks to the remarkable efforts of Jyoti and Margarida. “We had one man who wanted to take up the opportunity to voluntarily return to India,” said Jyoti. “But he needed to go back with dignity. So, we took him to rehab appointments until he’d dealt with his addiction. We spoke with his relatives in India. We organised documentation with the Home Office. We took care of him like family.”
And did it work? “It was not a small journey,” recalls Jyoti with a wry smile. “But he went home – and we celebrated because that’s one more saved.”
In the last year, the pair have helped 16 people reconnect and return home. They’ve secured leave to remain for three other men, giving them legal status here so they can access benefits. And Jyoti and Margarida have even arranged four funerals. “Everyone on the streets has depression, and there’s drinking and loneliness,” said Jyoti. “Sadly, we see a number of deaths. We find and contact the families, and organise the funeral.”
As the afternoon session draws to a close, the men wander back out into the cold, and the warm soup smell fades behind them. But thanks to the supporters of Hope for Southall Street Homeless hope does not have to fade.
