Background

Sleeping rough is at an all-time high in London, with estimates showing a 25% increase in the number of people sleeping rough for the first time versus last year. The cost-of-living and housing crises are contributing to an unprecedented level of homelessness in the UK. Rising rents, a scarcity of genuinely affordable housing, and ineffective public services are forcing more people into rough sleeping, and homelessness. Recent statistics suggest that in London, 1 in 47 people are homeless.  

Individuals in temporary accommodation or sleeping rough have limited access to hygiene facilities and technology, which only perpetuates the problem. For example, the inability to maintain personal cleanliness makes it very difficult to perform at one's best in a job interview. The lack of access to technology may limit job searches and applications that require online submissions or telephone/email communication.

There is a cycle that needs to be broken to address the needs of our community’s vulnerable members with respect and dignity, allowing them to feel comfortable to take on new opportunities. With these challenges in mind, and respect and dignity at its heart, I started In the Bag, a social impact initiative that distributes hygiene kits to the homeless alongside a printed job seekers’ handbook to assist individuals, in some small way, to break the cycle of homelessness and take a step towards self-sufficiency.