Peter Chand Is A Man man Whose Dedication To His Community Has Left A Lasting Impact As He Makes It His Mission To Combat Homelessness.

Feature Reporter Shakira Bruce-Abubacker has been to interview former Barking and Dagenham Mayor Peter Chand who is on a mission to stop homelessness.

I braced myself for the cold, donning my makeshift armor—a thick white woolly hat, a brown fur coat, gloves, and layers of woolen clothing to shield me from the biting weather. Yet, the moment I stepped outside, I realised how futile my efforts had been. The freezing air struck me like a merciless slap, stealing any illusion of warmth. Within seconds, I had surrendered to the unforgiving cold, defeated before the battle had even begun.

And then, as it often does, guilt crept in—a wave so strong it momentarily overshadowed the chill. How privileged I must sound, I thought, lamenting my discomfort after less than five minutes outside when I had the luxury of returning to a warm home, a cozy bed, and heating to soothe my complaints. In moments like these, I’m reminded of how often we take these privileges for granted. There are countless people who face this weather head-on, day in and day out, with no reprieve. No walls to shield them, no blankets to bury themselves under, just an endless struggle to survive the relentless cold.

As my thoughts wandered to those less fortunate, I felt a familiar pang of helplessness. How could I help? Could I make even the smallest difference? Perhaps for one person, or a handful, to ease their burden, to offer a glimmer of warmth in their harsh reality? These thoughts often linger, haunting the quieter corners of my mind.

Sliding into the car, I was pulled into a trance by the passing cityscape. Buildings blurred by, quickly yet somehow slowly, as if I were watching a film unfold. My mind, as it often does, began to drift—wandering between reflections, ambitions, and unanswered questions.

Today, however, I had a purpose that demanded my focus. I was on my way to meet with the former Mayor of Dagenham, Peter Chand, a man whose dedication to his community has left a lasting impact. He has made it his mission to combat homelessness, particularly during the harsh winter months, and to ensure those most vulnerable in his community receive the care, support, and warmth they desperately need. His work is a testament to compassion in action, addressing not just the immediate needs of the homeless but also striving to uplift the broader community. I was eager to hear his insights, learn about his efforts, and perhaps find inspiration to channel my own concerns into tangible change.

We had agreed to meet at the Costa Coffee in Dagenham East, a seemingly ordinary location for what I knew would be an extraordinary conversation. As I arrived and opened the car door, the biting cold greeted me like an unrelenting adversary. The icy wind clawed at my chest, forcing me to clutch the sides of my jacket in a futile attempt to shield myself. Hunched against the chill, I hurried toward the café, each step a retreat from the elements, like a soldier defeated on the battlefield.

As I stepped inside, the warmth of the building immediately enveloped me, a stark contrast to the harshness outside. I scanned the room, my eyes searching through the blur of unfamiliar faces and bustling activity. Then, as I turned, I saw him. Amidst the cold and the unfamiliar atmosphere, his smile stood out—bright, genuine, and disarmingly warm. It was a smile that instantly dissolved the tension of a first meeting, wrapping me in a sense of comfort that felt both unexpected and welcome.

Peter Chand exuded a presence that made you feel at ease, as though you had known him for years. His friendliness was unpretentious and immediate, and I felt myself settling into the moment with surprising ease. As we greeted each other, we began to weave through the café, seeking a quieter corner where conversation could flow more freely. Along the way, we spoke casually—about my career, my impressions of the area, and his deep connection to the community. He graciously offered me a kind of informal tour, pointing out nearby landmarks and sharing snippets of history tied to the streets outside.

Eventually, we found a small, cozy spot tucked away in a corner of another nearby café. The space was modest yet inviting, the kind of place that encouraged lingering conversations and heartfelt exchanges. Settling into our seats, it became clear that this wasn’t just an ordinary meeting. It was the start of an exchange of ideas, stories, and perspectives—one that I sensed would leave a lasting impact.

As we settled into our quiet corner, the warmth of the café began to work its magic, easing the chill that lingered from outside. The voices of many, creating multiple conversations lingered in the air, creating a setting that felt both intimate and inviting—perfect for the kind of meaningful conversation I was hoping to have. I leaned forward slightly, a mix of curiosity and respect guiding my tone, and asked my very first question:

Can you share what inspired you to get involved in supporting the homeless this winter?

It wasn’t just a casual inquiry. I genuinely wanted to understand the driving force behind his mission—a mission so rooted in compassion and action during one of the most unforgiving seasons of the year.

As the words left my lips, I watched his expression transform. His face softened, yet his gaze remained steady, locking onto mine with an intensity that spoke volumes. There was a quiet depth in his eyes—a depth that seemed to carry a thousand untold stories, each one waiting patiently for its turn to be shared. It was as though his eyes were a window into a world of experiences, lessons, and emotions that had shaped him into the person sitting across from me.

I leaned in slightly, drawn to the weight of the moment, knowing that whatever he was about to say would not just answer my question but reveal something truly meaningful about his mission and the experiences that had led him here.

Without hesitation, he delved right into the heart of the matter, his voice steady and purposeful.

“Okay so, I actually run my own charity called Dagenham United Charity, we’ve been running it for about 14 years so thatoffers food banks, so we give food banks to certain organisationslike the Independent Living Agency, Carers of Barking and Dagenham – which I am the current chairman of Carers of Barking and Dagenham.”

He continued, “They’ve got a hub in Havering as well, so I always give them food parcels. So, we collect the food parcels from Asda, Trussell Trust, it could be from Fair Share as well, big organisations and then we pass the food parcels to them and then they pass the food to families that are in need. I was approached a couple of weeks ago ‘It’s getting colder outside, any chance of you getting some sleeping bags for the homeless? Some kind of hats or gloves and stuff like that.’”

He let out a soft, almost self-deprecating chuckle, a sound laced with both amusement and a hint of nostalgia. It was clear he was revisiting a moment of uncertainty, admitting with an easy honesty that, at the time, he truly had no idea what direction he was going to take.

“Really not knowing what I was doing,” he chuckled again. “I put a poster up on Facebook, and said, ‘Right okay I need my friends and family to help me here, we need some sleeping bags and we need some hats and gloves.’ And people I don’t even know, were just sending me hats and gloves and sleeping bags – my car is actually full of sleeping bags at the moment.”

He paused for a brief moment, his gaze shifting as if searching through the recesses of his memory, carefully piecing together a mental inventory of the resources he had at his disposal at that particular time.

“We distributed fourteen last Thursday, because in Barking and Dagenham it was the Outreach Program to go and visit homeless people. So, from that side, about 11pm at night and we finished about 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning. So, we just went around the whole of the borough, where there are known to be the ruff sleepers, and we were just going around giving out whatever help and support they needed, but obviously they had some sleeping bags to give out as well. Now I’ve got more coming, probably got another fourteen or fifteen sleeping bags coming, so Havering council, along with a council called Royal Mercer, asked me if I would help in Havering. So, I would go out with them one day this week or one evening and we would just drive around to see who’s homeless, what help and support they need – if it’s food, sleeping bags, if it’s hats and gloves.”

He encapsulated his inspiration in a few poignant words, distilling the essence of his mission with clarity and conviction.

“So, what really inspired me, is the work I’ve done in the past through charity.”

“This is even something completely new to me, I’ve never supported the homeless before, only families that come to us and say. Every year we give school children gift vouchers from Asda, with a value of £75, so Beam School, Marsh Green School, William Bellamy School – they’re all in Dagenham, and Leigh School. They would nominate children that would not normally have a decent Christmas –so, parents that are either single, out of a job or on some kind of benefits that are not enough to give a child a decent Christmas. Along with ChildFM, we get lots of Christmas presents from Child FM as well,and I’ll pick that up on the 14th of December and deliver that to the schools.”

“But then, we give each school ten vouchers each, up to the value of £75 pounds, so that’s £750 each school will get to give to the families that need help and support over Christmas. So that’s my charitable background and that’s how I’ve got involved in, so this is something new to me.” He concluded his thoughts with a soft, almost playful chuckle—a quiet “hehe” that carried a sense of lightheartedness and humility.

This naturally flowed into my next question, one that I felt struck at the heart of his continued dedication:

“So, what drives you to take action for the homeless, even after your tenure as mayor has ended?”

“I’ve never stopped.”

Those few words, simple yet powerful, carried with them a weight that transcended their brevity.

“I started charity work when I was 15 years of age – I’m now 59. I never stopped doing it, I’ve always been involved in charities and helping people. So although my tenure has ended, my charitable work hasn’t. So, like I said earlier, this is something new for me, helping the homeless. So, what I’m thinking of doing now is seeing what other help and support they will need, do they need to come into a day centre, do they need to come into a place like this to get some food.” He motioned to the surroundings around him, his hand sweeping gently to encompass the café—its warm, inviting atmosphere, the quiet hum of conversations, and the soft clink of cups and saucers.

“I’m not sure – but at the moment I’m just looking at hats, gloves and sleeping bags and we’ll see where that develops.” He chuckled once more, the sound rich and genuine, his face lighting up with a big, hearty smile.

“I can’t do it on my own.” He exasperated, “We need organisations and people to help us and support us. We need more help from the local authorities, whether it’s Barking and Dagenham, whether it’s Havering or Redbridge, we all need to do a bit more to help support the homeless. I know there’s a problem with homes, as we all know homes are difficult, there’s not enough on the market or not enough affordable housing there for those that may have very little so, it needs people like you and I to go and help and support those people in the best way we can.”

“So, you’re right, my tenure ended but I still want to carry on.”

It’s a question that often lingers in the minds of many: how does someone find themselves homeless? What are the circumstances, the decisions, or the systemic failures that lead to such a precarious and heartbreaking reality? It’s a topic that invites curiosity and compassion yet, remains shrouded in misunderstanding. As I sat across from Peter, the thought weighed on my mind, and I knew I had to ask him directly.

“What do you think are the root causes of homelessness in Dagenham, and do you feel they are being adequately addressed?”

I asked, eager to hear his perspective—someone who had worked so closely with those facing these struggles. I hoped his insight would shed light on a question that so many ponder but rarely take the time to explore deeply.

“No, I don’t think it’s been adequately addressed.” He answered without hesitation.

“Homelessness has lots of different strings to it, some people make themselves intentionally homeless – so if you’re not paying your rent, not paying your mortgage, it’s not an easyprocess to get people out the house. But what will happen after 6-8 months is that they will go to court and then they will be made homeless. The council has very limited resources to say ‘I’ll give you a house’, so what they will do is they will put you in a hostel – and a hostel is not a good environment to bring up children if you got children. Because there’s lots of people, it’s overcrowded, it’s not really designed to make you comfortable. They’re designed to make you stay for a short term and then find somewhere else to move into. So, a hostel is not the answer.”

“Lots of root causes are, the affordability aspects of renting a house or buying a house. People can’t afford it. I’ll say marriage breakdown as well, that comes into the equation where a partner has left, and they’re left with nothing and made to end up on the streets. Other issues, and I’ve seen it firsthand, alcohol and drugs. Then that kind of spirals out of control and ends up with them on the streets. So, there is a whole host of things.”

“I wouldn’t put whole blame on all the council,” He continued. “Because it’s only certain things they can do. With all of those issues, comes more support and help that that individual needs – like those suffering with drugs or alcohol issues and the homeless. It’s like a three-tier thing that they will need help and support with, so for me, that’s a real tough decision and I wouldn’t blame everything on the council, but there’s certain things I think the council can do too, like opening certain hostels especially during this cold weather. Because, there’s buildings around the borough that are empty – not only this borough, in Havering, in Redbridge. There’s some buildings that are empty,and they can be put to good use, for the winter months at least to help those people get through the cold slaps.”

“What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the homeless this winter?”

“It’s cold.” He exclaimed.

“Where they going? We’re all human beings at the end of the day. For me, like I said earlier, the council need to do more to house them. They need to house them. Full stop. The weather’s not great here, it’s raining, people are getting respiratory problems when they’re sleeping outside. Even if it’s in the summer, we get a lot of rain here – it’s cold, it’s damp, it’s not good for your health, not good for your arthritis, if you suffer from arthritis. There’s a lot of issues and the pressing issue for me is that – we need to do more. Collectively. Not just put all the blame on councils. We all have a part to play.”

“How had your experience as the former Mayor of Dagenham influenced your approach to tackling homelessness?”

“I’ve seen it firsthand.” He put it plainly and bluntly, nodding his head for emphasis as he spoke.

“And I’ve seen some fantastic work that people have done. So, if you go to St Margaret’s Church, they do a breakfast club every morning where people are ruff sleepers or people that very little money. They can come and get a cooked breakfast, in the morning. That sets them up for the day, that’s one. SalavationArmy, in Barking, if you go there now, in the alley way, they’ve got a little alley way that leads to the back of the building and they’ve got a little hatch there where people can queue up for soup, roll, pasta, whatever they’ve got cooked on that day. But you can queue up now to get a hot meal, at lunchtime. You’ve also got the Barking Learning Centre, that’s also supported by, Trussell Trust and Fairshare – they’ll be giving out food as we speak. They give out food every single day of the week and even give you a carrier bag of food you can take home.”

“It doesn’t help the homeless, as the homeless doesn’t have anywhere to cook it. But, there’s people out there, that’s not homeless, that are really on the breadline. So, you know, these organisations are doing a lot. Salvation Army is a charity, a church is a charity, so they need to bring in extra funds to make that happen.”

I believe this is a question that has crossed the minds of many residents over the years. Yet, perhaps out of fear of sounding critical or unsure of how to phrase it, most of us hesitate to voice it aloud. But as I sat there, the weight of its importance pressed on me—it was one of those questions that couldn’t be left unasked. Better now than never, I thought.

So, summoning my curiosity and the courage to dig into a complex topic, I asked:

Do you believe local governments are doing enough to combat homelessness and what specific policies would you advocate for?

“No,” He put it simply as he shook his head.

“And well, the policies I would advocate for homelessness is in an emergency fund. We need emergency funding to be able to put those homeless people into a place, whether it’s a one bedroom place, whether it’s a, a house or whatever. It could be they need to be put somewhere, you know, there there’s ways that you can build units now out of containers that are not very expensive. We’ve got plenty of land here in Barking and Dagenham, but right across the London boroughs there’s plenty of land.”

He gestured with his hand, moving it back and forth as if painting an invisible map in the air, helping me visualise the sheer expanse of land in Barking and Dagenham. His movements were deliberate, almost like a storyteller weaving a narrative, emphasising the vast potential the area held. It was as though he was inviting me to see it through his eyes—not just as a geographical space, but as a canvas for opportunity and change.

“And in those lands, we need to be able to put these containers homes in. They’re very cheap – I think 15 to 16,000. To put someone in for you know, a couple of years. But for me it’s all about helping that individual to be self-sustaining. So, you know, you just can’t give someone a house for free. You know they need to be able to build up their lives. Find out what the issues are, how we can help them into work. If it’s work, they need. If they’re claiming enough benefits that could help them.”He shrugged his shoulder forward and turned his hand upward, suggesting possible solutions to address the problem.

“We don’t know, I don’t know what the issues are, but what we should be doing is tackling the root cause of what the issue is and then moving them on to somewhere where they can start rebuilding their lives.”

I persisted: “How come the council is not doing more? Is it due to lack of resources or there’s not enough homes or is it that they can’t be bothered?”

I tilted my head slightly, a gesture of curiosity, as if searching for an answer hidden in his words or expressions.

“Oh no. They’re bothered.”

“So, I think you hit the nail on the head twice. Lack of resources and lack of funds. I don’t want to make this a political thing, but no, no stretch of imagination, but the Tory government, when they was in power for 14 years, they cut every London borough literally about £70 million out of their budget. We’ve taken out more in Barking and Dagenham. We are the third poorest borough in London. So, we’re very poor borough, so if they keep stripping us of cash, someone is going to have to take a hit.So, we haven’t and the right to buy has hurt us badly. We had the biggest council estate in the world. At one stage. Becontree estate had just turned 100 last year. That was one of the biggest council estates in Europe and what happened there? Margaret Thatcher decided that if you lived in the council house, you canbuy it.”

“Oh,” I replied, taken aback, a look of dawning realisation crossing my face as my lips pressed together, reflecting a silent, unspoken, moment of thought.

“So, we lose probably a couple of 100 houses a year from our housing stock. That stock that would help young people to get on the onto the ladder somewhere for them to live. So, the Council can’t replace the amount of houses being sold.”

“There’s a couple of things there. There’s a funding issue. And the lack of affordable housing, really, really affordable housing.All these houses you see being built in Barking Dagenham today, they’re all private. There’s people saying to me ‘Look in flats, going up, who’s living, gonna live there? That could be for the homeless. That could be for this.’ I said ‘No, these are private developers.’ When if I had £20 million in a bank, I would build one of these.”

The thought sent him into a deep chuckle, his face breaking into a broad, heartfelt smile that seemed to carry both amusement and understanding.

“They want to make money these private, so L&Q are one of them. People Who Trust are another one. They’re all big organisations that build houses and they do give some back affordable rents, but the rest they sell off for a profit because they’re in it to make money.” He finished.

“What are some challenges you’ve encountered while organising these efforts, and how have you adjusted?” I asked.

“Well, to be honest, I haven’t encountered any because everyone’s been so helpful. You know people I don’t even know,have been so helpful. They’ve come forward with sleeping bags and other suggestions. I’ve had a man give me 50 hats, gloves and a snood to go around people’s necks, you know the snoodies.” He gestured around his neck to give me an idea.

“And I said to him, ‘Chris, why are you giving me those? Why are you giving me these hats and gloves?’ You know we needed gloves really and hats. And he said, ‘Because when I was 16,’and he’s in his 60s now, ‘When I was 16, I was homeless, so I’ve got an affinity with homeless people.’ He goes, ‘I’m doing well now,’ He’s got his own business and says ‘So, I’m in a position to help, so that’s why I wanted to help you, because I know you’re passionate about this.’”

“I said, ‘I’m passionate about lots of different areas of charity.’ But you know, this is something that I think during these winter months we need people to get out there and help and support those that are homeless.” He finished, nodding his head in affirmation, as if to underscore the finality and confidence of his words.

His statement hung in the air, a powerful reminder of the urgency that the winter months brought for those facing homelessness. It was clear that his commitment to helping wasn’t just about offering temporary relief, but about making a real, lasting impact. As his words settled, I couldn’t help but wonder how these efforts could be carried out effectively, ensuring that the support and resources reached those who needed them the most.

With that thought in mind, I leaned in, eager to delve deeper into the logistics of his mission.

“How do you ensure that the resources and support actually reach those in need?” I asked, knowing this was the crucial next step in creating meaningful change.

Part 1 of this interview by Shakira Bruce-Abubakar

Peter Chand=a man on a mission to help his community.

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