Catching Lives has this month appointed its first Chief Executive. Tasmin Maitland joins the Canterbury charity after many years working in the homelessness sector, most recently in consultancy and as Assistant Director at Homeless Link. She joins Graeme Solly and Emma McCrudden on the leadership team at a time of growing demand for homelessness services....

With the hot weather set to continue into next week, we’re continuing to monitor our severe weather provision for clients. From the 11th to 20th July we extended the opening times at our daycentre in Canterbury so that our homeless clients could stay until 5pm (rather than the usual 2pm) to escape the extreme heat....

Since the 11th July we have extended the opening times at our daycentre in Canterbury so that our homeless clients can stay until 5pm (rather than the usual 2pm) to escape the extreme heat. Canterbury Council have provided funding as part of their Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) to help us cover the additional staff costs...

For the last 7 years we have captured the experiences our homeless clients were having when visiting our local hospitals. A common issue was being discharged as street homeless with Discharge Notifications that stated ‘Discharged to own home’, but with the listed address as ‘NFA’,  ‘Street homeless’ or even simply ‘Care of Catching Lives, Homeless Day...

On 29th June Catching Lives held its first ‘Health Day’ for clients. Professionals from a wide range of services were invited to the day centre to speak to clients, informing them of what support they can potentially offer.   Attendees including members of the Hep C Trust, NHS TB team, a Sexual Health Nurse, a...

On 14th June 2022, the Government anounced that it will end Friday prison releases to prevent the race against the clock that is faced by many prisoners released on a Friday. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/end-to-friday-releases-to-cut-crime-and-make-streets-safer We are delighted to hear about this announcement as many of our clients have struggled with this issue for years. They are released...

Our bookshop in Canterbury occupies one of the most photographed buildings in Canterbury, unusual because of its crooked appearance, it is thought to have inspired Charles Dickens’ novel, David Copperfield. The large windows are almost unheard of in this age of building due to the window tax that came in during the late 1600’s, however...

Catching Lives has kindly been offered a piece of farmland for the next five years, which will be used to grow produce for our kitchen at the Catching Lives Open Centre, where our team of volunteers cook meals for the homeless and vulnerably housed of Canterbury and East Kent on a daily basis.  We will...

It is with deep sadness and regret that we announce the sudden passing of our dear friend and colleague, James Duff. James has served tirelessly in roles as Chairman, a Trustee and volunteer for many, many years; his contribution to Catching Lives and to the community has been tremendous and his legacy will live on....

A long time visitor to Catching Lives will be exhibiting his artwork at a local gallery in Folkestone next week. Lachlan has now settled into a permanent home after being homeless and rough sleeping since 1989. He spent many years struggling on the streets, before coming to Catching Lives for the first time more than...