Verral Paul-Walcott has been helping the homeless and those in need since lockdown and has seen his help needed even more in recent months
A London man who has been helping homeless people around the city since the pandemic has said the situation has got even worse. Verral Paul-Walcott, a dad of two, helps those most in need.
On top of helping those on the streets or facing sudden homelessness due to a breakdown, Verral helps those fleeing domestic violence situations. As a child, he faced a situation where he and his mum had to leave home suddenly, with a bag of toys in a plastic bag and nothing else.
Verral, who is from Haringey, told MyLondon: “I’ve seen a massive rise in the number of people that are out on the street. On every corner, it feels like you are seeing a homeless person. It makes me feel like I’m not doing enough. My volunteer group started with 24 people at the beginning of lockdown and now has over 1,000 people across different sections. We have a domestic abuse hub, a bike group that does distributions, and an online team. This is a community of people coming together to help.”
If you need help, call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 – it’s run by charity Refuge and the free number is in operation 24 hours a day.
He continued: “I’ve lived this experience. My mum and I went from house to house for years. She was a victim of domestic abuse. I know people who have been in temporary accommodation for years. Getting a van is the next step for us. It’s one thing to have your things ready to go, but then you need to find a way to transport them. You can leave your abuser, but then what happens if you can’t get the help to move that stuff? We can’t move a survivor’s bed, wardrobe or essentials in on our bikes or caddy – we need a van.”
Verral’s community work began during lockdown, when he started raising money for school uniforms for children in poverty. After his success, he began working with local family-run restaurants to provide hot meals to the homeless and struggling.
That is why Verral and his team at C86ers have opened up a storage space for domestic abuse survivors. He knows what happens when someone makes the decision to leave an abusive home, but they don’t have anywhere to put their stuff. He secured storage space, but now the team needs a van to transport the stuff there.
They would usually go around on bikes delivering essentials to those in need, but that wouldn’t be sufficient to move a bed or a wardrobe. They’ve also had to turn down large donations because they couldn’t transport them. That is why they are aiming to acquire a community van to pick up victims’ belongings, handle large-scale donations, and deliver items to the 27 London boroughs they serve.
He continued: “Helping people has become my second chance. I used to deal with social anxiety, and now I’m in a position to speak on people’s behalf. Helping people has almost become my medication. It’s nice to see the community come together and realise I’m not the only one who cares about domestic violence, I’m not the only one who cares about homelessness and poverty.
“I also have to be grateful for my wife and kids. If it wasn’t for my wife, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing. Without her, I wouldn’t be able to be out helping these people. I try to help as many people as I can. I want to leave a legacy for my kids.”
You can donate to Verral’s fundraiser here.
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