Published: Wednesday 6 July 2022
A pioneering homelessness service has helped a former rough sleeper move into his own home after almost 40 years on the streets.
Frank, who is in his late 70s, was suffering from prostate cancer and sleeping rough in a doorway on Kensington High Street when he was offered help by Gavin Stewart from Kensington and Chelsea Council’s Dual Diagnosis Service.
Through the unique scheme, rough sleepers like Frank are helped off the streets into accommodation and receive personalised support plans offering services such as counselling, group therapy, detox and rehab.
For Frank, the intervention led to him moving into temporary accommodation and receiving counselling from Gavin. He was given assistance with managing his finances and in searching for a safe place to live, ultimately resulting earlier this year in him moving into his first settled home since leaving a Paddington bedsit nearly four decades ago.
Speaking after moving into his new flat, Frank said:
“The night after I got prostate cancer, Gavin was in the doorway and said ‘come and see me tomorrow’. The next day I went in and he got me into a hotel and we’ve kept in contact ever since.
“Now I’ve got a flat and once I had the taste of a bed and a room, I didn’t really want to go back – I’m rehabilitated.
“I actually look forward to going back to my flat, turning the telly on, making a cup of coffee and watching the television. There’s a good quality of life that wasn’t there on the street.”
Cllr Kim Taylor-Smith, Lead Member for Grenfell, Housing and Social Investment, said:
“For many rough sleepers, and especially those who have been outdoors for a long time, the journey off the streets and into a safe home can seem insurmountable.
“Our Dual Diagnosis Service gives rough sleepers the support they need to make those changes and it’s humbling to hear how a warm bed or a locked front door – things that many of us take for granted – mean so much to someone like Frank.
“While the number of people sleeping on our streets remains low, we and our partners will not stop until we eliminate rough sleeping for good.”
Visit our YouTube channel to hear more about Frank’s story.
If you know of someone sleeping rough in the borough, report them to Streetlink via Streetlink.london or by calling 0300 500 0914.