Peterborough Soup Kitchen Expresses Concern Over Rising Demand and New Faces

A soup kitchen, which provides meals for approximately 1,900 individuals monthly, has stated that it was “scary” to observe the growing number of new people they were assisting. Peterborough Soup Kitchen (PSK) operates daily from a van in a city centre car park, offering conversation, a hot meal, and a drink, and has reported a “significant” increase in demand for its services. Beccy Tyler, PSK’s secretary, stated that the organization, run by volunteers, is now assisting a greater number of families with young children on a weekly basis, characterizing this trend as “heartbreaking.” Peterborough City Council reported a 40% increase in the homeless population. According to the council, approximately 70 individuals are seeking assistance weekly, an increase from around 51 people in the 2021/2022 period. The council indicated it anticipates a budget deficit exceeding £20 million for the upcoming year, required to fund services including homeless and temporary housing, adult social care, and health and children’s services. The charity Shelter reported a 20% rise in homelessness across the East of England over the past 12 months. Data from the charity revealed that in Peterborough, one out of every 230 residents was either without a home or residing in temporary accommodation. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government described these statistics as “shocking,” further noting its commitment of £1 billion in funding to support homelessness services and its intention to be “building the social and affordable homes we need.” The Peterborough Soup Kitchen stated that it has recently been assisting a minimum of 100 individuals every day. From October 2023 to October 2024, approximately 1,900 people received services monthly, an increase from 1,270 in the preceding year. The organization depends on its 165 volunteers, who are organized into 28 teams, and on donations to sustain its operations. Ms Tyler commented: “The number of new faces we are seeing every day is scary. We wish we could cater for more people but we can’t afford to do it.” She added: “The stories that you hear – it can happen to anybody.” She concluded: “It is a huge range of people that come to our van. It is heartbreaking to see it.” For updates on Peterborough news, information is available on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding its approach to external linking is available.