The Founder
My Name is Rudi Richardson and I am the founder of Streetlytes. Streetlytes was founded in 2007 and is an organisation made up of committed volunteers that provide food and clothing to the homeless in the streets of London. It also aims to give emotional support and practical advice to those who have found themselves in desperate living conditions and emotional despair.
Our organisation is unique in that many of the volunteers were once in difficult life situations, including homelessness, traumatic upbringings and drug abuse, and owing to these experiences we are able to share our knowledge of how we improved our lives and recovered from despair. I was once homeless and due to this fully identify with the plight and challenges of those who live on the street. Today we are making a difference by engaging the homeless through our experiences, strength and hope.
Currently, the outreach team feeds over [500] homeless and vulnerable people each month by operating a mobile food and clothing bank in the Boroughs of Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea. The food and clothing bank provides hot and nutritious meals, clothing, blankets and hygiene kits on a biweekly.
Streetlytes-UK is also actively involved in the Winter Night Shelter in Kensington and Chelsea where it assists on a weekly basis in preparing and serving food to homeless and rough sleepers. All foods are freshly cooked in our kitchens and Streetlytes staff has completed the Food & Catering Hygiene Level II certification course and are in full compliance of the health & safety requirements in regards to preparation, handling and storage of food.
Homelessness, prisons and institutions are not foreign to us. We are in touch with the feelings of loneliness, despair and apathy that many homeless people experience. More importantly, we are aware that recovery from alcohol and drugs and integration back into the community are realistic and achievable as many of us are living testimonies that it can be done.
Armed with experience, Streetlytes reaches the homeless on a more visceral level through peer-to-peer understanding. It is from this threshold coupled with inspiration and encouragement that a pathway to change is possible.
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