Poplar in the Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted everyone. During these unprecedented times, communities have pulled together with kindness, compassion, and resilience.

Below are stories that demonstrate some of the ways that our community has come together to support each other. A huge thank you to our residents, staff and partners for their incredible response to the pandemic.

#TowerHamletsTogether

Poplar in the Pandemic video Tower Hamlets Together video Communities & Neighbourhoods team response

Stories

Connecting families digitally

Connected 300 families with tablets and broadband so children could learn from home.

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Volunteers

Coordinated more than 74 volunteers to support those in need through welfare checks, food banks and delivering food & essentials.

Volunteer with us

Support for businesses

Supported our existing business tenants to resume trade safely and build their businesses, and provided opportunities for new business tenants on Aberfeldy Street and at Poplar Works.

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Home working

Nearly 70% of our staff transitioned to fully home working including our call centres, ensuring residents could access the services they need.

Financial support for families

Supported residents experiencing financial hardship through repayment plans and worked with partnership agencies to provide support and advice.

Employment & training opportunities

Supported more than 62 local people into employment, an average of 85 residents a month with training opportunities, and assisted clients safely when The Hive reopened.

Apply for employment & training support

Keeping estates clean & safe

Managed an increased workload to conduct more than 450 daily block spot cleans, continued bulk waste collections and health & safety checks to keep estates clean and safe.

Support for homeless families

Renovated 55 properties to be let by Tower Hamlets Council to homeless families.

Tower Hamlets Housing Options Service

Continued communication

Kept residents, staff and partners informed with vital information, including changes to services and places to get support.

Green spaces

Kept green spaces looking beautiful, giving residents a place to look after their physical and mental wellbeing during lockdown.

Support for young people

Spotlight, our youth service, supported more than 1,100 young people, digitally and in real life, through more than 4,000 telephone 1-2-1s, 400 digital group sessions, and a creative online programme.

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Food support for families

Worked with community groups, including Women's Inclusive Team, to enable more than 11,300 food interventions, helping heavily affected residents access hot meals and food for their families.

Women's Inclusive Team website