Perse Community Lecture – ‘Can We End Homelessness in Cambridge?’

13 Nov 2020

We were delighted to welcome Mark Allan, Chief Executive at Jimmy’s Cambridge, a well-known shelter and charity for the homeless in the city, to give the first virtual Perse Community Lecture, in partnership with The Cambridge Building Society.

He addressed the question ‘Can we end homelessness in Cambridge?’ and shared his own thoughts on the challenges of working to support those experiencing homelessness through the time of a pandemic.

Mark explored some of the unexpected positives that have arisen from the work statutory and non-statutory bodies have done to rise to those challenges and potential long-term solutions to the problem of helping those without a home to find a secure environment to which they can return, hopefully reducing the necessity for sleeping on the streets.

He also gave an excellent insight into the modular homes that have been created to support rehousing of homeless people and the work Jimmy’s has been doing in conjunction with other bodies on this project. Mark also engaged with a comprehensive question and answer session where he discussed a wide range of aspects that audience members wished to know more about.

This was the first time a Perse Community Lecture has been run in a digital format and over 150 people joined the event from across the wider Cambridge community. For anyone unable to attend, but who would like to see what Mark said and to hear some of the latest developments in work to end homelessness, the talk can be accessed here.

For further information on the work of Jimmy’s Cambridge or to donate, please visit their website.

In addition to the modular homes project that Jimmy’s are currently taking forward and which should see 17 homes open over coming months, you may also be interested in the work of It Takes a City, who are actively recruiting trustees as they look to advance their own proposed project, on which they are also looking to work with Jimmy’s.