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What’s new? news.fitzrovia.org.uk Fitzrovia News Fitzrovia News is produced by residents and volunteers and distributed free to all businesses and residential addresses in Fitzrovia Issue 140 Spring 2016 Charity launches appeal for funds after rise in rough sleepers and food poverty A small charity serving free we may have to reduce the hours The Soup Kitchen urgently needs London had 940 rough food and handing out warm we are open in order to keep the more than £5,000 to meet its ini - sleepers in autumn 2015, an service going every week.” tial £18,000 fundraising target — clothing for the homeless and increase of 27 percent since those living in poverty has Having a regular service is just the first stage of ongoing core Elvis Costello important as it provides a com - costs of £6,000 a month. the previous year, accord - seen an increase in demand munity for those who would Support the Soup Kitchen ing to statistics published for its service this winter but in Tottenham often be ignored and have no emergency appeal. in February. Westminster is struggling to cover its own place to go. “Many of our guests justgiving.com/miranda-suit3/ Council said there were 265 running costs. — whether they are sleeping on By cheque: Made out to the Court Road The Soup Kitchen at the rear the street or in housing — don’t ‘Soup Kitchen’, and sent to: Soup people sleeping on the of the American International get the chance to talk to people Kitchen at the American streets on a “typical night” Page 12 Church in Tottenham Court Road except when they come to the International Church, 79a in the borough. Camden is open for two hours, five days a Kitchen,” she says. Tottenham Court Road, London claims there were only 15 week serving hot food and drink The Kitchen has a good sup - W1T 4TD. Or by bank transfer: and providing clothing and a ply of donated food, clothing and email Miranda Suit for details: living rough on any single welcoming community for rough volunteers, but is very short of soupkitchendirector@ night (see rough sleepers sleepers and others in difficult cash to meet other running costs. hotmail.com story page 5). housing circumstances. “We are supporting more peo - ple than ever before,” says Miranda Suit who spoke to Fitzrovia News about the emer - gency appeal for funding they have launched to ensure they can continue to provide what they say is a vital service. About one third of the guests coming to the kitchen sleep on Chez Mamie Page 4 the streets, while another third are either in temporary accommo - dation or “sofa surfing”. The rest of the people they help are in social or private housing but are struggling to feed themselves because of cuts to, or delays in getting, their welfare benefits. “We see growing numbers of people on the streets. We have had some bitterly cold weather, and state benefits continue to be 60s pop spot cut back, making it a huge chal - Pensioners from the “Older Fitzrovia” group enjoy tea and cakes at Honey & Co Warren Street lenge to survive on the streets or (see also page 5) Photo Etienne Gilfillan. page 16 even on a low income,” she says. Statistics produced by the Soup Kitchen show a large increase in people using the serv - ice in December and January compared with the same months a year ago. But the Soup Kitchen is strug - gling to keep its doors open as GIGS est. 1958 costs rise and the level of funding coming in is going down as more The home of traditional Fish & Chips and more charities compete with each other for funding. Fully licensed Greek restaurant “We may have to cut back our 2014 Trip Adviser winners service in April,” says Suit. “If we can’t meet the funding shortfall 12 Tottenham Street 020 7636 1424 2 — Fitzrovia News issue 140 Spring 2016 facebook.com/FitzroviaNews :: twitter.com/FitzroviaNews Fitzrovia News Formerly The Tower Letters, emails and comment established 1973 news.fitzrovia.org.uk Write to [email protected] or post to Fitzrovia News, Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Association, 39 Tottenham Street, London W1T 4RX twitter.com/fitzrovianews facebook.com/fitzrovianews [email protected] The Housing and Planning Quest for Haggis 020 7580 4576 Bill will ‘damage London’s Issue 140 Spring 2016 This is a true story. I am 90, and Suddenly I heard rushing foot - Published 1 March 2016 have lived locally for 40 years. steps behind me. Was I being long established residential So I have always shopped daily mugged? Lo and behold! A Editorial Team at Tesco. I know many of our recent young Asian employee of Mike Pentelow: long-serving kindly staff by Tesco waved a pretty parcel and editor and features editor communities’ name, and some have become said triumphantly: “It’s just Linus Rees: friends. come in! It’s a PROMO! It’s a assistant editor We write as members of a Residents’ Association, facing the chal - On New Year’s Eve I wanted Haggis!” Pete Whyatt: lenges of the proposed Housing Bill, which will affect all who live in a Haggis. This traditonal Scottish Out of breath, he asked if I news and production editor properties owned by borough councils in central London. We are seasonal treat is sadly unknown wanted it. Of course I said “Yes!” Clive Jennings: concerned that the effects of the Housing Bill are not widely known, to some people. When I went to He then escorted me back to arts editor and that, if passed in its present form, the Bill will have enormously search the Tesco shelves, the Tesco where I thanked him and Brian Jarman: damaging consequences for London’s long established residential staff seemed puzzled, even the all the staff for such wonderful writer and sub-editor communities and for the city as a whole. manager who tried to telephone service on the busiest day of the Barb Jacobson: Our mansion block is owned by Camden Council, and occupied their headquarters, year. associate editor by a mix of council tenants and leaseholders. We are a stable commu - I decided to see if their com - A happy new year to Tesco Jennifer Kavanagh: nity, reflecting the local population, with a range of different income petitors stocked the Haggis. So I and you all. associate editor and ethnic groups and age profiles, and offer a good example of started my usual slow walk up Yvonne Craig Jess Owens social cohesion. Tottenham Court Road. associate editor Three aspects of the Bill are of particular concern to our Residents Association: Contributors: 1. Where the combined income of the two highest earners in a Autism and the homeless Ann Basu tenanted flat is above £40,000, rents will be increased by an as yet Sue Blundell unspecified amount up to local market rates. I was struck by the following Jayne Davis engagement with some very 2. When a tenant’s flat becomes vacant, the council will be piece received recently from Janet Gauld hard to reach rough sleepers. obliged to sell it; only if the Council ‘pays’ the government its market Streetsafe (SST), the Camden- Etienne Gilfillan This has resulted in two of price (from its already strapped budget?), can it remain as a tenanted based agency offering support Clifford Harper Camden’s most entrenched council property. and guidance for the street Stephen Heath rough sleepers accessing and 3. All new tenancies, including succession tenancies, will be for 2- homeless community. This was Angela Lovely maintaining accommodation. 5 years only; any new tenants will be unable to put down roots. written by Saul Freeman. Rosie Lunn One man entered accommo - Given property values for central London, tenants could face ‘During the last couple of José Mendonça dation after 30 years on the unmanageable rent increases; our residents would gradually become years [we] have worked closely Sunita Soliar street, another after four years of exclusively leaseholders, or those renting, short-term, from property together to raise awareness of Clifford Slapper rough sleeping and persistent developers. The community fragments and dies. Autism Spectrum disorders Adam Stoneman non-engagement with services. We urge all who care about London as a city to find out more (ASD) amongst the street home - Chris Tyler Both these men are still in about the Bill, to write to their MPs and councillors about its dubious less and hostel populations to Kipper Williams accommodation months after and unclear proposals, and to develop new ways of working leaving the streets and both say demonstrate to Parliament the that enable outreach workers Printed by: Cinema matinee is they have no intention of return - long term damaging effects of and key workers to engage more Sharman & Co Ltd, ing to rough sleeping. One has a most pleasant the proposed legislation. effectively with this client group. Newark Road, even begun a work placement.’ Amzad Hussain, Shafu Kanam, ‘Resources for Autism has Peterborough PE1 5TD Rev Alan Carr, Rector of St way to spend an Mary McAuley, Prof. John delivered eight training sessions sharmanandco.co.uk Giles-in-the-Fields, The afternoon O’Keefe, FRS, UCL Emeritus to professionals working in the Rectory, Gower Street . Prof. Eileen O’Keefe, London homeless sector. SST has used its Fitzrovia News is produced Metropolitan University, Prof. The Regent Street Cinema closed new found knowledge to change quarterly by the Fitzrovia Deborah Philips, University of to the public in 1980 and became working practises when autistic Community Newspaper Brighton Dr. Garry Whannel, a lecture theatre as part of the traits are identified in their Group, ISSN: 0967-1404 University of Bedfordshire Fitzrovia News University of Westminster.