Local Families Charity - Westminster Befriend A Family

About the Charity - 100% of the families they support live in poverty, and they work hard to make sure that they can make the most of the wealth of opportunities available in Westminster. Their family befrienders work closely with families to try and reduce the impact of poverty. They offer weekly parent support groups and community-based activities, as well as one-off activities that would not be available to these families otherwise.

They work with families living in difficult housing situations, like overcrowded housing and aim to try to reduce the impact this has on their lives. They also work with external organisations to gain funding for new essential furniture, like mattresses, to reduce the impact of poor housing on the lives of the families they support.

In 2018 end child poverty found that 39% of children in Westminster were living in poverty. This is the 5th highest rate out of all UK local authorities.

Westminster has a chronic housing problem. Due to the severe shortage of available homes Westminster City Council cannot offer a home to most applicants. The council report that waiting times for social housing are an average of 10 years for a 2 bedroom property, rising to 34 years for a 4+ bedroom property.