Ludlow Six Lives

Despite its status as one of the world’s most successful and dynamic cities, you never have to look far in London to see evidence of the enduring plight of people for whom the streets are their only home.

Having somewhere to call ‘home’ is fundamental to a happy life. London’s politicians, policy experts and housing professionals alike are all acutely aware that homelessness in all its guises remains one of the biggest challenges we face as a city.
Such a challenge can at times seem to be both immense and impossibly complex, but at its heart are individuals and their personal experiences.

The six stories gathered here give just a glimpse of the lives of people for whom homelessness is not just a statistic or a policy problem.

What is common to each is homelessness, what is unique is their story. And just as there is no one cause of homelessness, no one part of society affected and no single path to the street, equally there will never
be one simple solution.

But if the scale of the problem in London is huge, it is perhaps matched only by the tenacity and energy of the organisations and individuals across our public and voluntary sectors working to tackle its causes and improve services to homeless people wherever possible.

Now in their 13th year, the Andy Ludlow Awards have established themselves as the country’s leading awards to recognise and reward the innovative work being undertaken by such organisations.

Each of the six lives featured in this publication has been positively affected by one of the projects shortlisted for this year’s Andy Ludlow Awards.

They are a timely reminder of the personal stories behind the statistics and of the work to help people change their lives for the better.

Mayor Sir Steve Bullock

London Councils executive member for housing