M&S Croydon University Hospital

The people that we work with (known to us as customers) are the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people in our society – homeless young people and adults including ex-offenders, teenage parents, people with entrenched mental health problems and alcohol or substance misuse issues. In Croydon alone, we house and support 330 homeless men and women. Our innovative and person-centred approach with our customers delivers remarkable outcomes. Between 2015 – 2016, 75% of our customers went from homelessness to living independently. Of those who tried to reconnect with estranged family and friends, 95% of customers established contact with loved ones, whilst 74% of customers with substance misuse issues were supported to manage these issues better. The lack of the right support can often be the only obstacle for our customers to live a full and independent life. At Evolve we believe every one of our customers is unique and that everyone’s road to independent living can be different. Because of this, we believe in working closely with the customer in creating a support system that will empower and equip them at the right pace. The issues faced with the provision of healthy eating and affordability for those who have experienced homelessness and on a low income are well documented and evidenced across the world. The failure to adequately address this in developed countries reflects a weakness in our society to harness the abilities of our communities to come up with a solution that delivers real and sustainable change. Programs that are designed to maximise personal wellbeing, employment opportunities and community engagement should be seen as the next generational approach to educating those who are on a low income. Customers at our Croydon services have identified through customer meetings and existing work groups of the desire to set up a program where they can learn skills that will help them on their journey towards independent living. Healthy food preparation is key to a health lifestyle and the food donations sourced through Neighbourly will make a huge difference in engaging our customers and help them make better healthy food choice, especially as they prepare for their lives aware from Evolve.