Forward’s Rough Sleeper Breakfast Clubs: Empowering Lives Through Community
As I arrived early to the Canterbury’s Dinner Club, held at the Snuggery Café tucked on the High Street just beyond Canterbury’s landmark Roman city walls, I was immediately struck by the welcoming atmosphere. The aroma of freshly ground coffee and hot food filled the air, and I was met by a beaming man behind the counter, whose smile only grew as I stated my credentials: “I’m from the Forward Trust”. This gentleman (named Ali), it would transpire, was one of few local business owners who didn’t flinch when asked to host a Dinner Club for the local homeless community. I asked him what made him say yes, he shrugged as if to say “why wouldn’t I?”.
After settling in the corner, a crowd began to bubble outside. I could see through the window groups of people exchanging pleasantries, laughing and hugging. Taken aback by the sense of community, I began to understand this wasn’t just about food, it was about fostering connection, dignity, and hope among guests. As the doors opened, cheerful chatter flooded the space, guests greeted staff, said hello to Ali, found a spot to land, and orders were taken.
This is where the real magic began – while waiting for orders of freshly cooked meals, Beth (a Service Manager at Forward) and her Risk of Rough Sleeping (RORS) team circulated the tables. It was like a masterfully choreographed dance: checking in on guests, asking about their health, their families, before twirling to another table to help a guest fill in a form or register with a GP. The whole team evidently took a genuine interest in guests wellbeing – the sort of routine that would muster Craig Revel Horwood’s lesser-seen 10.
The dedication of the RORS team has meant that 135 people have been fed and 29% of attendees at these breakfast clubs have since entered treatment with The Forward Trust (data taken from one quarterly report during 2024-25).
I asked a guest how she’s felt coming to the breakfast club, and she told me that the ‘personal touch’ made her ‘feel a bit human again’ after a prolonged period of rough sleeping. Her table companion, a louder and more outspoken character, boldly offered that: “it is AMAZING… genuinely it’s one of the highlights of my week!” – before shooing me away with a wink as her jacket potato arrived.
The food offerings were impressive – not just in variety but in nutritional quality. An À La Carte approach as opposed to the canteen buffet I had been conjuring. An older, softly spoken man told me it was a “chance to feel like I’m going out to a restaurant like a normal person”. He said he even makes “a bit of an effort to look smart” before coming along. The whole operation had a sense of grown-up seriousness to it, side-stepping some of the pitfalls of other charitable projects I’ve seen that can be patronising or tokenistic.
Beth and her team’s work didn’t finish there. They were busy burying themselves in boxes in the opposite corner, pulling together care packages for guests to take away with them. Toiletries, clothes, rain ponchos, and backpacks – all proper quality stuff too – offered to each guest. In recent months, they have handed out over 220 naloxone kits to this community alone – a lifesaving intervention (Q2 24-25).
I left the club feeling inspired by the work being done there. It was more than just a place to eat; it was a transformative environment where individuals found hope, support, and connection. The commitment of the staff and the resilience of the guests demonstrated the power of community in overcoming adversity. The dinner club stood as a testament to what can be achieved when compassion and collaboration come together to uplift those in need.
This initiative forms part of the East Kent community drug and alcohol service, which Forward has delivered since 2017. The Breakfast and Dinner clubs are funded specifically by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities via Kent County Council.
Is your business interested in participating in this scheme?
Contact us for more information: Beth.Shelford@forwardtrust.org.uk