Email to the director of the West London Churches Homeless Concern

Last night Declan emailed West London Churches Homeless Concern (WLCHC) Director Michael Athienites. WLCHC is a Christian organisation that offers winter rolling shelters on the floors of churches to 35 homeless men and women. Every year it runs from mid-November to the first week of April. After that, Declan and I will revert back to sleeping rough in our patch in Whitechapel. I have to say that I often find myself wishing I was there despite the cold and police harassment.

We have been on this winter night shelter programme since mid-December. We arrive at each rolling venue before 8.00pm, have the meal provided eaten by 9.00pm, bed down shortly thereafter, and are woken at 6.00am - sometimes at 5.30am in my case. The email below that Declan sent to the WLCHC last night followed some unpleasant run-ins he has had with two homeless guys in particular – a white South African and a Spanish guy. There's even a drunken Pole who seems to think he can score brownie points if he can kick Declan awake in the middle of the night. Declan has become well accustomed to moving before he beds down for the night, to get away from this guy in particular.

The women sleep separate from the men, usually in a small room. There are only six of us. Sometimes there are seven, when the coordinator allows in a hardcore middle-aged alcoholic woman who frequently can hardly stand up. The other night this particular woman assaulted one of the homeless guys while we were outside waiting for another shelter to open at 8.00pm. At the beginning we women were all in bed by 9.20pm, lights were out and there was almost no talk. Now that has all changed. I am the only one that gets inside my sleeping bag at 9.00pm, while the rest chat, play music, etc. I really don't know what any of them have to celebrate! Of late, one woman follows me into whatever room we have for the night, carrying her dinner with her. They also wake up in the middle of the night, and what else goes on I don't know because I wear earplugs.

Subject: Scabies

Dear Mr. Athienites,

Last night in your shelter at St Philip's Church, Stratford Road I had a run-in with one of the sufferers of scabies that I bed down with at night. Having sat on my coat, he proceeded to scratch his back inches from me. Given the highly communicable nature of this itch mite, I would be grateful if you would please advise as to how I should best handle such an incident should it recur. (Since the outbreak two weeks ago, my wife and I use neither the mats nor blankets provided by West London Churches Homeless Concern.)

Yours sincerely,
Declan Heavey

We are fed up sleeping with homeless people, and fed up with being homeless in general, which is why we are now looking for a London-based journalist.