As a doctor, Afia was a strong female figure in her community in Afghanistan, working with local people as well as volunteering with a number of non-governmental organisations including Amnesty International. However, her strength and independence made her a target for the Taliban. Afia explains: “The situation in Afghanistan is not good. Women face a lot of problems if they […]
“Now I get up and go to work with a spring in my step, thinking about what I’ll achieve for the day,” says James who was supported back into work by Sarah Roper in our employment team. James, 53, had worked all his life in the hospitality industry. Starting as an apprentice chef, he progressed to become an area manager […]
The Spring 2017 edition of our magazine gives a detailed insight into the various people who come to the Centre and how the Centre’s services work together to turn lives around. You can download the magazine PDF in full, or if you’d like us to send you a copy then please send your postal address to fundraising@cardinalhumecentre.org.uk
A huge thanks to the wonderful team from the head office of LHA London who recently volunteered to improve the family centre space. Accommodation provider LHA London have generously supported the Centre for several years, paying for new showers and cooking facilities in the hostel, but were keen to get involved in a different way. The thirteen strong team came […]
“My time as a volunteer at the Cardinal Hume Centre was within the context of my seminary formation at Allen Hall, London. As part of our formation program for priesthood we could choose a weekly pastoral placement, to give us exposure to the pastoral needs we may experience later in our priestly ministry. I opted to go to the Cardinal […]
We are walking with the Lord Chief Justice and thousands of lawyers to raise funds for Law Centres and pro-bono agencies in and around London.
“I lost my job and my home. For weeks I was homeless. I carried all my belongings with me as I tried to find a different friend’s sofa to crash on each night. It was difficult and stressful. Had it not been for a kindly passer-by who referred me to a women’s hostel I don’t know how long I would […]
“I was ill but it got to the level where I had to find work, because I couldn’t see my mum struggle like that.” Aaron, 27, was determined to find work to help pay rent despite been seriously ill and entitled to employment support allowance. When he was less than two years old Aaron was diagnosed with Leukaemia. His mother, […]
“If I hadn’t come to the Centre I wouldn’t have had the chance to gain work experience at the University of Cambridge.” Elena lived in the Centre’s Hostel for homeless young people for just over one year. She was fiercely independent throughout her time here and truly determined to be able to stand on her own two feet. By the end of […]
Sunday, 15 January was the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Almost three quarters of people who come to the Cardinal Hume Centre for support were born overseas.
The Cardinal Hume Centre has stressed the need not only to confront the current homelessness crisis but to tackle it from its roots.
Just three weeks ago we had our annual staff and volunteer conference. We had chosen the theme of hope.
Land Securities, the company responsible for the recent transformation of Victoria, is hosting an even bigger and better Christmas carol concert at Westminster Cathedral in aid of the Centre, following the success of last year’s inaugural event. The festivities will spread beyond the Cathedral too, as ticket holders will be invited to a post-concert reception on the roof garden at […]
Last Thursday (3rd November), on a cold, wintery night, the Cardinal Hume Centre met with local investment advice firm, Cambridge Associates, for a friendly eleven-a-side football match. Gareth Farmer, one of our Advice and Assessment Officers, was tasked with pulling a squad together to represent the Centre on the pitch.
The biggest-ever CEO Sleepout London event took place last night (Monday, 31 October) at Lord’s Cricket Ground with around 200 CEOs, business and community leaders, MPs and Peers sleeping outside in a bid to raise more than £180,000 to help end homelessness.
On Wednesday this week, we took part in a mass lobby of parliament to encourage MPs to support the Homelessness Reduction Bill which is due to be debated on 28 October.
Thirty years may seem a mere blip in the great scheme of things but thinking about the number of people who have come through our doors over those years, it’s time beyond measure.
Our Family Service was opened in 1987 by Cardinal Hume. He was deeply concerned for the many families in the area who were living in poverty and he sought to provide a place of sanctuary for both parents and their children. Thirty years later poorly housed families continue to depend on the Centre for advice and support. For low income […]
“Four and a half months ago I was homeless. I had no family to turn to, and I had been sleeping in a friend’s van most nights, to avoid being out on the streets. On the few nights when I could stay with friends I had to stay up until everyone else had gone to bed before I could get […]
Leila is 24 years old. She came to the UK in 2013. Her life as a Palestinian refugee in Syria had become increasingly difficult since the outbreak of fighting in the Civil War. “There was bombing and fighting. It was very dangerous. There was no work, no shops. No money, no food or even water. People were eating rubbish, squeezing […]
