Christmas Message from The Passage Dear Friends,

Like many of you I have a young family. Whilst I prepare for the joy of being with my family at Christmas, I am reminded of what a desolate time of year this can be for so many people; particularly those affected by homelessness. As we all prepare for the shared joy and thrill of Christmas, it is even more important in this year of ʻcutsʼ to remember those who need our help and not forget that they need our support throughout the year. 30 years of caring At The Passage, we give support and care to thousands of homeless people, not just at Christmas but throughout the year. In fact October 2010 marked 30 years of The Passage continuing to provided resources that encourage, inspire and challenge homeless people to transform their lives; over the last 30 years we have helped over 100,000 homeless people. In October 1980, Cardinal Basil Hume approached the Daughters of Charity to see if the basement area of St Vincentʼs Centre, close to Westminster Cathedral, could be used to provide shelter and comfort to the homeless; from these humble beginnings, The Passage was born. The Passage now runs, from that same original site, the UKʼs largest day centre for homeless people. In addition to providing services in our hostel and studio flats, 200 people a day come to the day centre to receive immediate care, (food, shower and toilet facilities, clothing,

laundry and a place off the street), housing advice, health services and access to employment and training opportunities. We also take our mission out on the streets late at night and early in the morning to help those bedding down or getting up to start their journey out of homelessness. What has not changed over those 30 years is our aim to welcome everyone who comes to our door as an individual and help each person to move forward - however long this may take. Maryʼs story Maryʼs story below illustrates just what achieving change can involve. Mary is a 78 year old lady who has slept rough for over 10 years. She suffers from ill health, including hypertension, chronic asthma, and mobility issues. Due to her poor health, Mary uses a walking stick and takes a great deal of time and energy to get anywhere. When met by The Passage outreach team 3 years ago she was sleeping out, sitting upright in one of the bus stops in Victoria train station. She would fall asleep leaning against her walking stick and catch a few hours sleep when she could. Initially, Mary was very resistant to support from any service. A proud lady, she did eventually tell us that she had worked for her whole life, and had held a housekeepers job in a small family run hotel for many years. During this time she lived in a small room in the hotel; just right for her. When Mary retired from this job 10 years ago, she lost her accommodation, and became street homeless. There is still much we donʼt know about Mary as she is intensely private and also has an aversion to asking for help – she refuses state benefits and does not want to feel a burden. Although prioritised for help, Mary consistently refused assistance from us. She became a well known figure in the Westminster area, and is ʻofficiallyʼ one of the longest rough sleepers in the country. We have spent a great deal of time trying to earn Maryʼs trust so that she would agree to accept some support. The smallest steps were taken – we discovered she very much missed having her hair done in a salon when she was working, and so enticed her into the day centre by promising her a hair cut and set! Our real opportunity came about when Maryʼs health started to worsen, and after a couple of hospital admissions, she was persuaded into Bed and Breakfast accommodation for a short period. Once there, we were able to persuade her to move into one of our supported flats in Montfort House just above our day centre in Victoria. We had to throw away the rule book with Mary; she is not required to do any of the usual things that our other clients need to do – she didnʼt need to fill in any paperwork, she doesnʼt need to apply for her rent to be paid, she can come and go as she likes, she doesnʼt need to agree to a support plan while living in the flat. We had to do this as it was the only way she would agree to moving in. We hope we will be able to achieve more with Mary the longer she stays indoors, as we wonʼt be able to offer her free accommodation indefinitely…… But, for now, Mary is off the streets and somewhere safe and warm, her health has improved and she tells us she loves her “perfect little room.” Can you help? To maintain our mission to help every person who comes to our door as we have helped Mary costs money, and The Passage needs over £4 million a year to run all the services it provides half of which currently comes from voluntary donations. Next year we expect our government grants will be cut by 25%, so we will need your help even more. My grateful thanks to everyone who has supported our mission in the past. Please continue to help us, and to make this Christmas a time of hope and real change for those sleeping on the streets. I wish all of you a joyous Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Mick Clarke Chief Executive

30 years of helping Homeless people

HELP NOW By calling us on 0845 880 0689

Life goes on

Some people walk on. Others look away. At The Passage we just get on with doing all we can to help vulnerable and marginalised people who are homeless.

To that end, our Day Centre opens its doors to over 200 people everyday, whilst our hostel, Passage House, has beds for 48 people and is open every night of the year. In addition, Montfort House provides 16 studio flats preparing people for independent living. Our aim is to support individuals back into a settled way of life, as well as meeting basic needs.

If you’re interested in being a volunteer, would like to make a donation or would simply like more information, we’d love to hear from you.

Give us a call on 0845 880 0689, email i @p or visit w

Reg. Charity No. 1079764