Covent Garden London
The heart of London's West End
Preamble to St Mungo's report:
Early this year, the situation concerning abusive behaviour, largely drug-related, on Endell Street and around the St Mungo's hostel, got to such a bad state that the CGCA called on the management team of St Mungo's to meet with us. The vast majority of residents in St Mungo's hostel have a drugs habit and an area of the hostel has been converted to a drug treatment unit. This fact has attracted more addicts and pushers to the immediate area. The incidents reported are beyond just being unpleasant; they are often frightening or worse.
St Mungo's have stated they will patrol the immediate streets around their hostel and will endeavour to stop the anti-social behaviour of their residents. If you experience a problem, St Mungo's have a 24-hour line to contact (given in their report below) and say they will take steps to deal with any problem immediately.
Following our meeting, St Mungo's distributed an information pack to local residents and businesses. The chief executive of St Mungo's and hostel manager have agreed to meet again with us in the middle of July to monitor progress.
St Mungo Hostel Endell Street
The hostel on Endell Street is just one of over 60 St Mungo projects.
Overall, we provide accommodation for over 1200 people who are homeless or vulnerable.
St Mungo's provides support to all their clients offering help with employment, health and addiction problems. Last year over 2000 homeless people took part in activity, training and employment programmes, and 200 were helped find full time work.
Most of the Endell Street hostel residents are former rough sleepers.
The hostel is at the forefront of efforts to reduce rough sleeping in the area. Three years ago, 3 times as many people slept rough in and around Covent Garden.
The hostel provides a safe place for rough sleepers to go, where they get 24-hour support and help to find a suitable home. People like Paul and Natasha, a couple who were evicted from their flat with two days notice and, in an attempt to alleviate the misery of life on the streets, began to use drugs. They slept out for years before getting a place in this hostel - one of a few which accept couples.
Here, Paul and Natasha got help to tackle their drug addiction and were later found a flat in South London, where they set up home. They are just two of over 80 people for whom the hostel helped find a new home last year. As Natasha says, "St Mungo's got us where we are now.
Without their help we would still be on the streets taking drugs".
For further information telephone the hostel manager on 020 7240 5431.
Charles Fraser, Chief Executive
"Well done CGCA for all the hard work (seen and unseen) carried out on our behalf" Ms A, Gt Russell Street
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