Two London homelessness charities have collapsed in the space of a week, write Chloe Stothart and Joey Gardiner.
Homelessness charity the St Botolph's Project was wound up last Friday. Award-winning youth project Safe in the City, run by the Peabody Trust and homelessness charity Centrepoint, closed on Wednesday.

St Botolph's had a turnover of about £2.6m and served about 3000 people. It provided support services in homelessness schemes run by housing associations Providence Row, New Islington & Hackney, Sanctuary and Stadium.

Local homelessness organisations, including Thames Reach Bondway, will keep St Botolph's benefits advice and employment project running until a decision is made over who will take over its services.

Jeremy Swain, chief executive of Thames Reach Bondway, said: "The ramifications of the closure for the homelessness sector should not be underestimated. We cannot allow quality organisations to go under and need to reflect on how we sustain ourselves.

"Regular, challenging, externally provided 'health checks' would give agencies the impartial information required to help them improve financial viability and plan for the future."

Former St Botolph's staff will be able to apply for jobs at Thames Reach Bondway before they are advertised externally.

Safe in the City, which aimed to prevent homelessness by working with young people at risk of leaving their homes, folded because its £6m single regeneration budget funding is to stop at the end of this month.

Ronnie Clawson, vice chair, said: "Extensive work was done last year to determine whether Safe in the City could sustain itself after 31 March 2004. Our findings strongly indicate that it cannot."

Richard McCarthy, the ODPM's director general of sustainable communities, was formerly chair of the project and wrote to the charity's staff to thank them for their work.