Tower Hamlets Inter Faith Forum marked Inter Faith Week 2025 with A Place to Call Home, a well-attended event bringing together faith leaders, council representatives, health experts, researchers, and residents to explore the deepening housing crisis in the borough.
THIFF Co-Chairs Sufia Alam and Rev James Olanipekun opened by acknowledging that housing insecurity affects “every faith, every neighbourhood, every demographic” in Tower Hamlets, and called for renewed cross-faith collaboration.
Cllr Musthak Ahmed highlighted the power of partnership:
“When different faiths come together, they amplify their impact… Interfaith collaboration is not just powerful but essential.”
The Venerable Peter Farley-Moore, Archdeacon of Hackney, reflected on the spiritual meaning of home: “The ache for home lives in all of us… but ‘hellish’ is the more common adjective used to describe the housing crisis in London.”
Karen Swift, Director of Housing Strategy, presented stark data: 3,300 homeless households, a 29,000-strong housing register, and the need for a £50,000 salary to rent a one-bed flat. She described the forthcoming Renter Reform Act as “the biggest reform in 40 years.”
Public Health Consultant Emily Humphreys linked poor housing to poor health, noting: “The annual NHS cost of poor housing is £1.4 billion.”
A powerful panel discussion followed, with stories of overcrowding, damp, rodent infestations, and families living in fear and instability. Sister Christine Frost captured the urgency: “Children have no space to do homework… surely that is not right.”
Despite these challenges, speakers showcased how faith groups are already providing night shelters, emergency support, food provision, and sanctuary. Closing the event, THIFF co-chairs emphasised the shared responsibility to act:
“We need to work together. One day, may every home in our borough be a happy place.”
See THIFF event report 2025 in full here!
