This month’s ‘community focus’ concentrates on an Essex Charity helping thousands of homeless people every single month. Friends of Essex & London Homeless are a local charity driven by one single goal: “to do their part in making the world a better place for all.” They are a small group made up of volunteers who travel to central London every Wednesday evening to set up a ‘pop up’ soup kitchen at Charing Cross, which ensures hundreds of homeless receive a hot meal.

Jon Cruddas MP has recently been contacted by The Silver Sunday Team regarding this years Silver Sunday which will be on Sunday 6 October. Silver Sunday is a special day in the national calendar established to celebrate older people.

The day is a chance for local businesses, charities, schools, faith and community groups to host events that champion older people and encourage other organisations to work closer with the ‘silver community’.

Last week – First Step, a local charity for disabled Children, announced that they need to raise £200,000 to avoid closure after losing funding from Havering Council.

The charity in Tangmere Crescent, Elm Park, has continued to provide support for hundreds of children with special needs and disabilities for many years and has become a vital part of the community.

In 2017 First Step lost funding from the local authority and has had to draw further into its charity reserves. The charity has now expressed three options on their future outcome:

On May 17th 2018, local autism charity ‘The Sycamore Trust’ released a statement regarding funding cuts implemented by Havering Council. Two of the trust’s Wednesday night clubs had been told to ‘shut down immediately’ after the local authority withdrew vital funding. Both youth clubs provided activities for children and young people with autism, and adults with learning difficulties.