​The Covid crisis has increased the number of people experiencing poverty, mental health challenges, loneliness and isolation. Job losses placed more people at risk of homelessness, and more people in need of food and

essential items.

 

At our King's Road Community Drop-in at Chelsea Methodist Church, we continued to serve vulnerable communities throughout the lockdowns and their aftermath. 

 

Actions we've taken since March 2020, when the first lockdown began:

 

• Continued to keep staff on site to provide a face-to-face presence while the Drop-in was closed. This allowed guests to continue collecting their mail from our safe address, where we offer a secure post service. We were able to assist with urgent requests for provisions and advice, and direct them to specialised support services where appropriate.
   

• Shared emergency food supplies with other frontline homelessness services.
   

• Distributed hundreds of survival packs of food, personal hygiene products, socks and underwear to those in need.
   

• Secured emergency grant funding to continue serving people in need. Our charitable work is usually funded by renting out church-owned retail spaces, but rent payments have reduced dramatically due to lockdown-enforced closures. Gratitude to the London Community Foundation, The National Lottery Community Fund, London Community Response Fund, City Bridge Trust and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for their support.
   

• Provided nutritious takeaway lunches at Chelsea Methodist Church on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from May 2020 - providing 150+ meals per week.
   

• Launched a winter evening meal service from November 2020 to April 2021, with our partner Glass Door. These free cooked dinners reached 150+ beneficiaries every week.
  .

• Reconfigured the Drop-in with social distancing screens, to create a 'Covid-safe' waiting area for guests attending 1:1 support sessions.
   

• Held online and in-person group and 1:1 support sessions to adults and delivered free meals and/or food parcels to their doorsteps when needed.
   

• Cooked and distributed 100-200 takeaway lunches every Thursday at the World's End Estate, from February to July 2021, alongside a food bank run by Venture Community Association.
   

• Re-opened our showers to homeless guests from April 2021.
   

• Expanding and improving our free laundry service for homeless guests - thanks to grant funding from The Gwyneth Forrester Trust to purchase extra machines.
   

• Delivered educational nutritious breakfast workshops to children and parents throughout August 2021, in partnership with Chelsea Theatre on the World's End Estate.
   

• Re-opened our sit-down communal lunch service from September 2021, allowing 30-50 guests to eat together in our dining hall every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with takeaway meals also available.
   

• We are always looking for ways to grow and evolve our service to meet the needs of our communities.

​

How you can help

​​

Our charity work is almost entirely funded by rental income from shop spaces owned by Chelsea Methodist Church. This was heavily reduced during ongoing lockdowns, when these shops were forced to close. If you resonate with our work, we invite you to help keep our services running and innovating by supporting us here.

​

Thank you and stay well in mind, body and spirit,
Team CMC.