London-based charity, Cardinal Hume Centre, has won one of five coveted awards at Homeless Link’s national Excellence Awards 2026.
Homeless Link is the national membership charity for frontline homelessness organisations, and its annual awards recognise the innovative and impactful work happening across the sector to support people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping in England.
The Cardinal Hume Centre, which works to support families, children and young people to overcome poverty and avoid homelessness through a wide range of services, won the Excellent Support Award for its temporary accommodation (TA) in-reach project.
The project brings high quality play, learning and educational support directly into TA settings, creating psychologically informed and welcoming spaces that encourage families to spend more time outside their rooms and help children to thrive, all while building trust with parents, identifying longer-term challenges, and connecting families with assessment, advocacy and casework services.
Since starting work in the hotels 18 months ago, Cardinal Hume Centre has provided 78 play and learning sessions, registered 146 people with the service via the outreach team, helped 32 families with housing and employment outcomes, and supported 12 children to get school places.
The organisation was selected from 121 entries to the Excellence Awards across the five categories, 33 of which were shortlisted. It will be able to use the award to assist in building partnerships and securing funding, while raising the profile of its work among key stakeholders through Homeless Link.
The judging panel, composed of experts from across the homelessness sector, commended the organisation for its economical, effective and easily replicable model, and strong partnership work.
Karen Davey, Head of Service Development at Cardinal Hume Centre commented: “We are incredibly proud that the Centre’s work has been recognised in this way as we mark the beginning of our 40th anniversary year. Our focus is firmly on the experiences of the child, both to alleviate the immediate impact of homelessness and to prevent it from reoccurring in the future. Every child has the right to grow up in a safe, stable environment, with access to opportunities to learn, develop and explore through play. As we look ahead, we are committed to working with partners to expand and scale our outreach model, ensuring that the children currently living in temporary accommodation in Westminster and beyond are seen, supported, and never forgotten.”
Rick Henderson, Chief Executive of Homeless Link, added: “Homeless Link’s annual Excellence Awards highlight the pioneering and impactful work happening countrywide to ensure that everyone has a place to call home and the support to keep it. At a time when organisations are helping growing numbers of people with increasingly complex needs, while under significant financial pressure, it is vital to recognise their exceptional efforts and raise their profile with partners and funders.
“Cardinal Hume Centre is providing invaluable support to children and families experiencing homelessness, helping to alleviate the potentially damaging effects of living in temporary accommodation. Through its accessible, welcoming sessions, the organisation has created an excellent model for TA support. We congratulate them on receiving this award.”