Advertisement
For £35 you can help a vendor keep themselves warm, dry, fed, earning and progressing
BUY A VENDOR SUPPORT KIT
Housing

Church where Big Issue launched gives away £150k in grants to tackle crisis

St Martin-in-the-Fields, a key part of The Big Issue story, listened to frontline workers across the country to help them figure out the best way to support homeless people through the Covid-19 emergency

st martin in the fields

The charity arm of St Martin-in-the-Fields, the legendary Trafalgar Square church where The Big Issue was launched nearly 29 years ago, has smashed targets for its emergency appeal fund after giving away 450 grants worth nearly £150,000 to help homeless and vulnerable people across the UK.

In just three weeks the money has made its way from the church across the country to help people into housing where they can safely self-isolate, to get basic essentials to those in need and to buy isolation-busting phones and tablets for people who need that lifeline to stay in touch with their families and services they rely on.

When setting up the emergency appeal fund in early April, questionnaires went out to St Martin-in-the-Fields’ network of more than 950 workers who support those living on the streets across the UK. The “sometimes surprising” answers went on to inform the fund and influence how the grants were given out, after the charity said in a statement it was “vital to listen first then respond” when figuring out how to tackle the Covid-19 crisis.

https://twitter.com/stupotts/status/1258021513061597190?s=20

The charity then accepted grant applications from frontline workers across several sectors including supported housing officers, mental health workers, probation officers, GPs, social workers, drug and alcohol support workers and prison in-reach staff.

It means cash has reached vulnerable people in need of food, hygiene packs and funds to cover their utility bills, plus making sure they can access support with mobile phones, laptops and wifi or data access.

Advertisement
Advertisement

The church has played a crucial role in the fight against homelessness for more than a hundred years – “a beacon of support for the stranded urbanite”, according to Big Issue founder John Bird. And it’s a key part of The Big Issue’s story.

The magazine was launched in the church crypt in September 1991.

And when The Big Issue marked its 20th anniversary in 2011, a landmark exhibition – Hard Times by award-winning photographer, Paul Wenham-Clarke – ran for three months downstairs in the foyer at St Martin’s, giving an insight into the challenges facing Big Issue vendors every day.

The charity has also helped people secure accommodation by covering depots and taking care of rent arrears where there’s an imminent risk of eviction.

St Martin-in-the-Fields also rapidly expanded its phoneline service set up to support homeless people as well as those in danger of being evicted across the UK. Meanwhile the organisation’s homelessness charity The Connection is working with partners in London to deliver hundreds of meals every day to the hostels and hotels where homeless people are being housed during lockdown.

Reverend Richard Carter and the rest of the church has been offering a takeaway lunch every Sunday, helping those on the frontline stay in touch with local rough sleepers as well as making sure they can access food.

“This is a particularly tough time for those who are disheartened, anxious, sick or homeless across the county,” a charity spokesperson added. “St Martin-in-the-Fields are working in ways old and new to try and help.”

We’re keeping track of all the good people doing good across the UK as the nation tries to navigate the public health crisis – find out what others are doing here.

Advertisement

Change a vendor's life this Christmas

This Christmas, 3.8 million people across the UK will be facing extreme poverty. Thousands of those struggling will turn to selling the Big Issue as a vital source of income - they need your support to earn and lift themselves out of poverty.

Recommended for you

View all
'We must remove the shackles of stigma': Five ways Labour wants to shake-up Right to Buy
Labour deputy prime minister abd housing secretary Angela Rayner
Right to Buy

'We must remove the shackles of stigma': Five ways Labour wants to shake-up Right to Buy

Rents in UK are rising at highest rate in decades. Will they keep going up?
rents uk
Renting

Rents in UK are rising at highest rate in decades. Will they keep going up?

Mum-of-three hit with 'revenge eviction' after asking for repairs: 'It felt like the end of the world'
Hazell and her three kids faced homelessness until Shelter stepped in
Renting

Mum-of-three hit with 'revenge eviction' after asking for repairs: 'It felt like the end of the world'

Housing minister admits Labour's 1.5 million homes promise will be 'more difficult than expected'
Labour housing minister Matthew Pennycook
Housebuilding

Housing minister admits Labour's 1.5 million homes promise will be 'more difficult than expected'

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know