Kev (51) had always been in employment but following a relationship breakdown, he began drinking to excess. This impacted his finances and mental well-being leading Kev to lose his job and his property. Kev found himself on the streets. The Whitechapel Centre's outreach team met Kev and he was placed temporarily in a First Steps from the Streets Hostel while his needs were assessed, then placed into more suitable accommodation.

Kev faced many challenges, including:

• Alcohol dependence: Kev’s living situation only heightened his problems and led to binge drinking.
• Mental Health: Due to his situation, Kev was suffering with anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.
• Isolation: Kev was isolated as he knew nobody within the homeless service, he also felt embarrassed about his situation which led to family estrangements and further isolation. 
• Information: Kev had no access to information or any activity programmes to make more meaningful use of his time.

Kev was introduced to our New Beginnings team. 
Kev was feeling low with nothing to look forward to. He wanted something to keep him busy to prevent him from drinking. Through New Beginnings he:

• joined the gardening project and completed a gardening course
• completed a course with Recycles Liverpool, where he learnt to take care of and fix his bike
• attended group fishing sessions
• regularly attended cookery classes 
• completed a digital inclusion course
• attended PT sessions, learning to use the gym equipment and about health and nutrition
• started volunteering at the cookery group, the Whitechapel Donations Centre and FareShare

Transition to Permanent Housing
Kev had a few bumps in the road out of homelessness, struggling when key anniversaries arise, leading to binge drinking. Kev had to vacate a harm reduction hostel, becoming homeless again, he had a tough time for several weeks but was then rehomed in another hostel accommodation. Later, Kev secured his own tenancy in a social home.

​The Whitechapel Centre has won one of five coveted awards at Homeless Link’s national Excellence Awards 2025, in partnership with SHAP and Liverpool City Council.
 
Homeless Link is the national membership charity for frontline homelessness organisations, and its annual awards recognise the innovative and impactful work happening across the sector to support people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping in England.
 
The Whitechapel Centre, SHAP and Liverpool City Council won the Successful Partnerships award for their end-of-life care for clients living in a substance addiction harm reduction service.
 
The service’s “eyes-wide-open” approach to addiction enables clients who would normally be excluded from services to receive treatment and support at a sensitive time. Through effective partnership work, clients have the dignity to choose their preferred place of death.
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The partners were selected from 115 entries to the Excellence Awards across the five categories, 29 of which were shortlisted. The judging panel, composed of five experts from across the homelessness sector, commended the partners for their service’s thorough approach and for providing support for people typically excluded from mainstream services.
 
Whitechapel Centre CEO David Carter said, “Our team and partners work together incredibly well and we’re thrilled to receive this award. Our residents see this service as their home and it’s wonderful that, thanks to partners, they can remain with us in their last days.”
 
Rick Henderson, Chief Executive of Homeless Link, added, “Homeless Link’s annual Excellence Awards highlight the innovative, impactful and dedicated work happening across the country to ensure that people have a place to call home and the support they need to keep it. Homelessness organisations are managing extremely high levels of demand from people with increasingly complex support needs, while continuing to face significant financial pressures, and it’s important to recognise these exceptional efforts.
 
“The Whitechapel Centre and its partners have worked hard to form effective partnerships with a spectrum of local services to ensure that the people they are supporting can receive the treatment and end of life care they need. We congratulate them on receiving this award.”

Full awards listing here

Have you been helped by The Whitechapel Centre? Did we help get you off the streets and into a home? Or advised you on how to prevent becoming homeless? Or supported a member of your family? Or do you volunteer for us? Have worked for us?

The Whitechapel Centre fights to end homelessness but sadly we are 50 this year. Sadly, because we are still needed, five decades later.
Manager Ruth McCaughley said, “We’re not celebrating our 50th birthday - we’ll only celebrate when we’re not needed anymore. However, we can celebrate the impact we’ve made and we’ll be marking our 50th with a series of lovely awareness raising events as we reflect on all the lives we’ve helped transform. So, we’d like to hear from individuals who have been involved with us. Whether it was in the beginning, in the mid 70s, or any time since. We’d love to hear how The Whitechapel Centre supported you, so we can use your stories in various ways throughout 2025.”

If you have a story about how The Whitechapel Centre helped you / your family, or how working or volunteering for us has impacted your life, please fill in the contact form below or email [email protected]. You may want to consider: 
How did The Whitechapel Centre help you? What year was it? What you were going through? What happened and where are you now?