Who We Are
We're London's Homeless Front. The Homeless Front UK is an organisation made up of current and former "rough sleepers" in London's West End inspired by the success of Portland, Oregon's Homeless Front, a group of eight people who in the winter of 2000 came together on a plot of frozen ground with the intention of creating not only a more comfortable place to sleep, but of creating a community of peers to support and inspire each other in the struggle to get back on their feet and into more permanent housing.
We, like the original Homeless Front, know the issues of homelessness better than anyone and, if given the opportunity, can work together effectively to solve them. We operate on a principle of love and respect for ourselves and each other which is the philosophical underpinning of what we do. These essential ingredients are missing from many of the well-intentioned but misguided efforts to ameliorate the conditions of homelessness. These principles foster community and with the support of a community, the transition to permanent housing is easier to accomplish.
The main purpose of the Homeless Front UK is to initiate an Out of the Doorways campaign for a sanctioned tent city, which over time will become a green, sustainable urban village.
What's initially envisioned is a safe, clean, drug- and alcohol-free place where people who might otherwise inhabit doorways or live under bridges can have their needs met until such time as other more conventional housing can be found. It will be a place for referral to existing resources and one that will bridge the gaps in services that exist in the current situation.
Beyond this and over a period of about three years, we see our tent city evolving into a green, sustainable, urban eco-village. We see our tents giving way to small, portable eco-friendly houses, the construction of organic gardens, common areas, and piazzas.
What the Homeless Front proposes to build will be a user-friendly, self-designed service not only for us but for all future generations of homeless people using green sustainable technologies that will extend the span of all life here on Earth.