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The Upper Room provides assistance in several areas in London, including Shepherds Bush, Hammersmith, Acton, Wembley and other regions. The charity organisation offers schemes called UR4, and there is one for food as well as a job programme. Other practical support items, such as furniture or toiletries, can also be provided at the same time as a meal from the St Saviour’s Church, which runs the programme.

Food is provided daily from the UR4Meals scheme. The service is available from 5:30 to 6:45 pm. The Upper Room provides free food to about 2000 people per month, and some of them use take-away as well.

At the same time that someone is stopping by for a meal, they can get other items from the charity too. There are cases in which donations of clothing, coats, bedding, furniture, and toiletries are passed out. Volunteers from the Upper Room collect these items from people across London and then provide them to the vulnerable.

Almost 20 volunteers take part in the UR4Meals service. They collect and sort the food. Some volunteers prepare a meal, and other clean up. So the Upper Room does depend on the help of many others in the community.

Find additional help from The Upper Room

As noted, the UR4Meals programme can provide free food. But the organisation does so much more as well. Most of their other programmes depend on partners and donors too, but they can be as follows.

Solicitors drop in at the Upper Room. They offer legal aid to families on a low income. The lawyer can help a person access benefits they need or deal with creditors on debt arrears. The legal aid can also address other issues around housing, such as evictions. In fact, helping families settle into a home or deal with rent arrears is an aim of the solicitors.

Many of the clients of The Upper Room are refugees or are new to the UK. About one-third of the clients are Polish, with a large number of other Eastern Europeans such as Romanians and Latvians. The solicitors can help them with any immigration issues they are threatened with. There are other services available, and find additional legal aid from solicitors.

The Upper Room can also help the disabled. There is care given to them for their needs from St Saviour’s Church. This ranges from a free food parcel or applications for the Freedom Pass. Form filling for financial aid for bills and living expenses is also a service.

Referrals are given to shelters in London or short term hostels. Note the Upper Room does not have their own accommodations, but they are a great source of information for the homeless.

The vulnerable can also get assistance from Greenlight Medical Van. The service visits The Upper Room one day per week on a changing schedule. When they drop in, GPs as well as volunteer nurses offer basic medical care for free. If the need is more complicated, then referrals are given to other providers.

Employment is covered by the UR4Jobs Project. Many of these clients are also new to the UK, and include Central as well as Eastern Europeans. Or they were formerly homeless. In any case, the aim is to both help the individual gain new skills and also find employment so they can earn a livable wage.

All of the assistance from UR4Jobs is personalised to the client’s needs and skills. It is also provided to them for free. Volunteers will work with the client to break down barriers to employment. Financial assistance for employment related bills is provided too. The Upper Room will offer grants to pay for uniform costs, travel, exams, health checks, and other bills that could prevent someone from getting a job.

The drop in centre from the Upper Room is located at St Saviour’s Church, Wendell Park, Cobbold Road, London, W12 9LN. Call 020 8740 5688.