Case Study: Community Living Rooms project
Funding overview
Organisation name: London Borough of Waltham Forest
Programme name: Community Living Rooms
Funding value: £20,000
Programme objective: to provide friendly community spaces across the borough where residents can relax, encounter familiar faces and meet new people.
UKSPF strand: Borough investment - Communities and Place
About the programme
Londoners are worse hit by the cost-of-living crisis than the UK average and the effects of this in winter means that some will have no heating, a shortage of warm clothing, personal products, money and food.
London Borough of Waltham Forest established The Winter Space Network to address this by providing a safe, friendly community space for residents to relax.
Community Living Rooms is an extension of this project.
In action
Community Living Rooms are inviting, supportive and unjudgmental spaces where people can connect, relax, enjoy free tea, coffee and snacks and feel like part of the community. These diverse spaces offer a range of free activities, from arts and crafts to health and wellbeing, while some provide free healthy communal meals that bring people together over food.
In response to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, some Community Living Rooms also provide essential resources, including income guidance, welfare and benefits support, as well as energy advice.
Attendees at the Gleaners Cafe Community Kitchen
Testimonials
“Funding enables us to provide a creative table each week and was full of families for the first two hours which is amazing.
The ‘take what you need’ basket continues to be really appreciated and some funding to keep this stocked with sanitary products and hygiene products is incredibly helpful.
We have stopped having the television on during the morning as it isn’t needed. Conversation between customers is stronger when it is not on.”
- Community Living Room Host
"Having gone through a particularly difficult time in my life, the community living room has been an absolute lifeline for me, I have met lots of lovely new friends, I have had wonderful home baked meals cooked to perfection, endless hot drinks and terrific fun and great conversations.”
- Community Living Room User
Solving the challenge
UKSPF has been used to establish and support 28 community living rooms from 2023 to 2024, with 23 located in voluntary and community sector (VCS) settings such as churches, social clubs, and community centres and 5 in gyms. 17 of the VCS-led spaces received further funding to continue supporting from Winter 2024 to Spring 2025.
These are safe, welcoming, and non-judgemental spaces with many offering free activities including yoga, arts and crafts such as painting, knitting and ceramics, games, meditation and walking.
Visitors can also enjoy free drinks, snacks, and some provide a free healthy hot meal and free hygiene and period products.
Impact on Londoners
Between June 2023 and March 2024, Community Living Rooms delivered over:
- 3,300 extra hours of provision
- welcomed over 16,000 visitors
- served more than 6,000 hot meals. This number was derived from feedback from 14 spaces, suggesting that actual numbers are likely to be higher.
Additionally, through Community Living Rooms, London Borough of Waltham Forest facilitated vital outreach support, connecting residents with:
- the Household Support Fund via Citizens Advice outreach
- HEET energy advice
- Lower Bills, Warmer Homes initiatives,
- digital support
- support for women experiencing domestic abuse.
Through funding, the project also provided grants for spaces to offer visitors access to free period and hygiene products.
By conducting monthly evaluations, the council were able to respond to emerging community needs, tailoring training and outreach to enhance support in local spaces and ensure that we effectively address the challenges faced by residents.
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