Our history

We first opened our doors to homeless people in 1986, when the local community set up a night shelter in response to the deaths of two people sleeping rough on Richmond’s riverbank.

In 1989, the night shelter moved to more permanent accommodation on Kew Road. The hostel, as it is now, has been in operation ever since. It is a now 12-bed facility providing excellent support to those who were previously sleeping rough.

Over the years, more services were added, working specifically with rough sleepers and those who were dependent on drugs or alcohol. In 1998, a core team was introduced, offering management, finance and administration to support the front line work.

SPEAR continued to grow and in 2000 we were granted funding to develop our Contact Assessment and Support Team. This was an amalgamation of our Outreach, Support and Resettlement services and the teams still operate, offering excellent services all the way from the street to a home and lasting, genuine independence for homeless people in Richmond.

In 2006, the hostel stopped operating as a night shelter and opened its doors to residents all day. This has made an enormous difference to the level of support we can offer clients who stay with us.

This is an exciting time for SPEAR. We have an excellent relationship with the wider community of Richmond, including those who are homeless or who have been homeless, as well as our partners such as the Council and the Primary Care Trust. We offer excellent services to those most marginalised in society and we strive constantly to improve those services and the lives of our clients.