Note: The following report is a snapshot of life at KCAH collated from weekly, data-supported, anecdotal updates from the teams between November 2025 and January 2026. Figures represent minimum recorded instances during the timeframe.

This past quarter KCAH has felt like a steady ship navigating some particularly choppy waters. Between the fluctuating bureaucracy of SWEP, the biting reality of the first frost and the sheer volume of need the team has had to be agile, resilient and at times incredibly stubborn to ensure no one in Kingston is left behind.

While the complexities of our work are often hard to quantify the impact of the last three months is clear in the data gathered from the teams. Despite the rapid flow of cases our weekly check-ins recorded at least 35 instances of people moving into private rental, supported accommodation or sheltered housing. This is a massive achievement given the influx of roughly 40 new registrations hitting our doorstep every single week.

Our advocacy also unlocked at least £2,100 in direct relief for residents including Household Support Funds, DWP hardship payments and a vital £1,000 grant to secure a temporary placement for an individual with complex needs. In January alone we saw at least 4 eviction preventions, one of which halted  court proceedings, and dozens of medical interventions ranging from GP registrations to critical hospital visits.

Back in November, in just two weeks the Winter Night Shelter moved from a hope to a reality. It is easy to forget how fragile these projects are. If just one aspect had failed the whole thing would have collapsed but instead it is thriving. We are seeing an average of around 20 guests per night and the shelter is powered by the community with numerous volunteers rotating through shifts. We have averaged two home cooked community meals per week ensuring guests receive hot nutritious food made with care by local supporters and schools. It is not just a bed. We have already seen guests move from the shelter directly into private tenancies independently and through the joined up work of our housing teams.

We have spoken a lot lately about the missing middle. This is that widening gap where people are not unwell enough for acute psychiatric care but are far too vulnerable to survive without intense advocacy. This quarter that reality hit home. We have been acting as body doubles during high pressure ADHD assessments, securing emergency safety for a young neurodiverse victim of violent crime and remaining the only open door for people with complex needs who have otherwise disappeared from the system. We do it because as the third sector we are the front line.

It is not all emergency calls and ambulances though. This quarter was also about the quiet victories. We watched a long term visitor of The Bridge complete a gruelling detox and transition into residential rehab which was a courageous journey we were proud to support. The Asset Fund provided laptops for employment, gym memberships to fight isolation and even swimming lessons. Whether it was feeding a resident’s new puppy while they were in the hospital or the record breaking sell out of our Christmas cards the humanity of our work remained constant.

I recently found myself scrolling through the Surrey Comet archives from 1990 reading headlines about a Homeless Crisis in Kingston that could have been written yesterday. It was a stark reminder that while the faces and the years change the need remains.

But so does the response. We are currently recruiting our 3rd Asset Coach and onboarding new properties to ensure the relative peace we have found in our HMOs continues. To everyone who cooked a meal, lit a light on the Tree of 1000 Lights which is now at 386 and counting or shared our volunteer drive I want to say thank you.