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'Not just statistics': service remembers London's dead homeless people 'Not just statistics': service remembers London's dead homeless people
(35 minutes later)
Philip Henry Stevens was remembered for his sparkly blue eyes. Andrew Branski, who came from Poland to harvest vegetables in the north of England, was courteous and generous. Fellow Pole Agnieszka Stachelek was a “very lovely and courageous lady who never complained about all her many problems”.Philip Henry Stevens was remembered for his sparkly blue eyes. Andrew Branski, who came from Poland to harvest vegetables in the north of England, was courteous and generous. Fellow Pole Agnieszka Stachelek was a “very lovely and courageous lady who never complained about all her many problems”.
These names, and another 191, were read aloud on Thursday at St-Martin-in-the-Fields’ annual memorial service for the homeless and destitute people who died in London over the previous 12 months. Hundreds of relatives, friends, charity workers and well-wishers filled the imposing 18th-century neoclassical church that sits in a corner of Trafalgar Square. These names, and another 191, were read aloud on Thursday at St-Martin-in-the-Fields’ annual memorial service for the homeless and destitute people who had died in London over the previous 12 months. Hundreds of relatives, friends, charity workers and well-wishers filled the imposing 18th-century neoclassical church that sits in a corner of Trafalgar Square.
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This year’s roll call of the dead was longer than ever before, said Richard Carter, St Martin’s associate priest. It included 12 who had died literally on the streets and some who had come to the UK in search of sanctuary or a better life.This year’s roll call of the dead was longer than ever before, said Richard Carter, St Martin’s associate priest. It included 12 who had died literally on the streets and some who had come to the UK in search of sanctuary or a better life.
All of them were worthy of love, dignity, respect and justice, he told the congregation. “Sadly many of them have not had their stories told in funerals or gatherings of family or friends. We cannot recall all their hopes and dreams. But each had a story to tell if only there was someone to listen. They are not just statistics.” All of them were worthy of love, dignity, respect and justice, he told the congregation. “Sadly, many of them have not had their stories told in funerals or gatherings of family or friends. We cannot recall all their hopes and dreams. But each had a story to tell, if only there was someone to listen. They are not just statistics.”
Among a handful of individual lives recalled during the service was that of Branski, who worked in the UK agricultural sector before moving to London in 2005, where he acted as an informal interpreter for his compatriots. He had lengthy spells of homelessness and illness, the congregation was told, but finally found a flat in Pimlico, where he was looking forward to a settled life. That ended earlier this year with a heart attack, following a robbery, at the age of 65.Among a handful of individual lives recalled during the service was that of Branski, who worked in the UK agricultural sector before moving to London in 2005, where he acted as an informal interpreter for his compatriots. He had lengthy spells of homelessness and illness, the congregation was told, but finally found a flat in Pimlico, where he was looking forward to a settled life. That ended earlier this year with a heart attack, following a robbery, at the age of 65.
Stachelek, also from Poland, came to the UK seven years ago to join her adult children and work as a carer. But she became homeless after being estranged from her family. Aid workers found her a room in a YMCA, but she was evicted when her housing benefit was stopped after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Another room was eventually found, but she died in March. She was 51.Stachelek, also from Poland, came to the UK seven years ago to join her adult children and work as a carer. But she became homeless after being estranged from her family. Aid workers found her a room in a YMCA, but she was evicted when her housing benefit was stopped after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Another room was eventually found, but she died in March. She was 51.
David Rose was a “strong character”, evident from one of his poems, Cutting Edge, a scorching critique of contemporary capitalism: “After a boom there’s always a bust / Ask who’s to blame and they’ll tell you it’s us / It’s not greedy bankers or embezzling elites / It’s somehow the fault of those with the least / The old, the disabled, and us on the streets.” David Rose was a “strong character”, evident from one of his poems, Cutting Edge, a scorching critique of contemporary capitalism: “After a boom there’s always a bust/Ask who’s to blame and they’ll tell you it’s us/It’s not greedy bankers or embezzling elites/It’s somehow the fault of those with the least/The old, the disabled, and us on the streets.”
The congregation was invited to place paper fish in a paper stream cascading from the altar in memory of those who had died. The ensuing crush of people inching along the central aisle took longer to clear than anyone expected; two middle-aged men clung to one another, sobbing. The congregation was invited to place paper fish in a paper stream cascading from the altar in memory of those who had died. The ensuing crush of people inching along the central aisle took longer to clear than anyone expected; two middle-aged men clung to each other, sobbing.
Sixty members of The Choir With No Name, a charity for people living on the margins of society, gave an emotional performance of Run by Snow Patrol. The charity runs two choirs in London, one in Liverpool and one in Birmingham, involving 400 people, and next month will perform at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Sixty members of The Choir with No Name, a charity for people living on the margins of society, gave an emotional performance of Run by Snow Patrol. The charity runs two choirs in London, one in Liverpool and one in Birmingham, involving 400 people, and next month will perform at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Brian Hester, 64, who began singing with the charity three years ago, said it had been instrumental in helping him overcome depression and deal with homelessness. “I feel on top of the world now, and the choir is 90% responsible for that,” he said.Brian Hester, 64, who began singing with the charity three years ago, said it had been instrumental in helping him overcome depression and deal with homelessness. “I feel on top of the world now, and the choir is 90% responsible for that,” he said.
In an address to the congregation, Stephen Saxby, the vicar of St Barnabas in Walthamstow, east London, who was homeless as a teenager, said some of those commemorated in the service had “lived in the shadows hardly known to anyone”. In an address to the congregation, Stephen Saxby, the vicar of St Barnabas in Walthamstow, east London, who was homeless as a teenager, said some of those commemorated in the service had “lived in the shadows hardly known to anyone”. “We commemorate those with whom some of us have spent time on the streets, with whom some of us have been alongside at soup runs, in shelters, in hostels,” he said. “We remember people we may have passed in the street but never knew by name. And we remember each one by name, acknowledging that each one is special, each one was uniquely and lovingly made, each one is worthy of dignity and respect.”
“We commemorate those with whom some of us have spent time on the streets, with whom some of us have been alongside at soup-runs, in shelters, in hostels,” Saxby said. “We remember people we may have passed in the street but never knew by name. And we remember each one by name, acknowledging that each one is special, each one was uniquely and lovingly made, each one is worthy of dignity and respect.” Homeless people and those working with them were living in challenging times, he said. “We continue to experience not only very sharp cuts in funding to charities, but deeper and deeper cuts in welfare provision, forcing more and more people in the UK into poverty, and, indeed, into homelessness. At the same time, the UK is rightly a haven for many in our world escaping violence, poverty, and tyranny, with increasing numbers living destitute, with no recourse to public funds.”
Homeless people and those working with them were living in challenging times, he said. “We continue to experience not only very sharp cuts in funding to charities, but deeper and deeper cuts in welfare provision forcing more and more people in the UK into poverty, and, indeed, into homelessness. At the same time, the UK is rightly a haven for many in our world escaping violence, poverty, and tyranny, with increasing numbers living destitute with no recourse to public funds.”
A “proper safety net” was vital to “protect those who are the most vulnerable and impoverished in our society”.A “proper safety net” was vital to “protect those who are the most vulnerable and impoverished in our society”.