Community assistance centre moves to new location

The community assistance centre in New Addington is moving from Tuesday (22 November) from CALAT to the former district housing office at 90 Central Parade.

Since the derailment the centre has been providing support to anyone affected, either directly or indirectly.

It will continue to offer the same support services, including direct access to staff from the council’s customer contact centre and welfare teams. Opening times from Tuesday will be 9am to 8pm.

The centre is staffed by council officers, the British Red Cross, Victim Support, Rail Care teams and local church and community groups who are offering advice, support and counselling to anyone involved or affected by the tragic incident.

A dedicated direct dial hotline (020 8760 5441) also provides help and advice on financial and housing issues. It is operational Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Out of hours, the line will divert to TfL’s Sarah Hope Line which provides specialist support to people affected by fatal or serious injuries on London’s transport network. Their contact details are 0343 222 5678, or incidentsupport@tfl.gov.uk

Further support and financial assistance will soon be made available thanks to a fund set up by the council and supported by the Mayor of London and the Croydon Advertiser.

The JustGiving web page along with other private collections have already raised around £25,000. The Croydon Advertiser is also donating 30p from the sale of every copy of last Friday’s edition towards the fund. The page and other information about the incident can be found at www.croydon.gov.uk/tramincident.

Councillor Tony Newman, leader of the council, said:

“Croydon remains in mourning following the tragic event that took seven lives and left many badly injured, both physically and mentally. The welfare centre staff have done a wonderful job working to support those affected.

“We are still here to provide support and I would urge people to take advantage of this facility. You may just need a listening ear to talk through how the tragedy has left you feeling or you may need longer term help. Whatever it is, the staff will do their best to make sure you are looked after.

“I’d also like to thank the many hundreds of people and local businesses who have contributed to the fund we set up. This money will go some way towards easing the difficulties of people who were caught up in this terrible incident.”

2016-11-22T11:12:51+00:00 November 22nd, 2016|Recent news|