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...

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...

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...

On 28th July 2021 the Government unveiled their Beating Crime Plan which included measures to prevent prison leavers returning to the street and reoffending. These will include:• Basic, temporary accommodation provided to keep prison leavers off streets to stop reoffending• Extra investment in drug and alcohol treatment to rehabilitate offenders Catching Lives are always pleased...

Right now, donations to Catching Lives mean more than ever. The government has begun to withdraw its support for homeless people during the pandemic and our focus is now on helping as many people as possible, both in the short-term by providing equipment such as tents, sleeping bags, a place to come to do laundry...

Five pounds doesn’t seem like a lot of money. Certainly, if I were to give you five pounds and I said you have everything that you need to make it through a Monday, you would think I had gone crackers and think that I had set you an impossible task, but have I? It turns...

Usually during the winter months churches open their doors and provide overnight shelter for people with no home to go to. The need for social distancing during the pandemic means this has not been a viable option this winter. The government issued funding to enable local authorities to address this and provide emergency winter provision....