Cardinal Hume Centre - You passed me campaign launches across London

Homelessness isn't just rough sleeping. And having a roof over your head doesn't always mean having a home.

For 40 years, the Cardinal Hume Centre has supported young people, children and families experiencing homelessness and poverty in Westminster.

We know how important it is not only to help people facing homelessness today, but to work to prevent it in the future.

Today, you may already have passed someone experiencing homelessness without realising it. If you’re in Westminster, perhaps you passed one of the almost 4,000 children in the borough who put on their school uniform this morning in the temporary accommodation they currently call home.

At the bus stop, perhaps you passed a young person checking their phone for a message from a friend to say they could stay on their sofa tonight, because relationships at home have broken down.

Perhaps you picked up a coffee this morning and as you left you passed a young person in the corner who has recently left foster care and moved into a hostel because they have no stable home to go to.

Forty years ago, our founders went out to the bed and breakfasts where families experiencing homelessness were living temporarily. They invited them into the Centre to wash their clothes, cook meals and give their children a safe place to play. They set up supported accommodation, giving young people who were running out of options a home and a helping hand to rebuild their lives.

Four decades later, homelessness is still too often understood as rough sleeping.

Last year, we supported 1516 people, including 934 families and 356 young people under 25 – many of whom had a roof over their heads.