BARKA UK London

15/06/2026

A welcome change to the procedure?
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/09/ministers-could-ban-london-councils-dumping-homeless-families-miles-away

Measures being considered to crack down on practice that has grown as a result of Britain’s housing crisis

24/05/2026

Barka UK team was present at the conference entitled 'EU nationals in Homelessness Crisis - from Emergency Assistance to Long-Term Solutions’ on 15th of May. The event was organised jointly by the Embassy of the Republic of Ireland in Dublin and Barka For Mutual Help Ireland😀🥰🍀

Similarly to Barka UK, Barka IE works directly with individuals in crisis, often socially excluded, helps them to reintegrate back into a society, often through return to their country of origin. Social exclusion among EU citizens and the issue of homelessness and vulnerability connected with it were the main points of focus of the conference❤️🔥😍

The event started with welcoming remarks of Mr Piotr Erenfeicht, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Republic of Poland in Dublin followed by a very inspiring speech of Senator Aubrey McCarthy who went back to describe the origins of his involvement in helping homeless and vulnerable people🧡❤️

Michal Wybiral, The Consul of the Embassy of Republic of Poland was a moderator of a panel of guests presenting the Polish consular services and collaboration with Polish organisations supporting people in need

A very important discussion panel focused on Barka Foundation working both in Ireland and the UK. Barka’s Street Leader, Marcin shared his personal testimony on overcoming his addiction, homeless and his reintegration back to society and his work for Barka. Social and professional reintegration, long term assistance to EU nationals in homelessness crisis and addictions were also discussed😍

Last panel, moderated by Aneta Kubas, from Barka For Mutual Help Foundation, was focused on challenges and responses of organisations supporting people experiencing homelessness in Ireland💜🩵💚🧡❤️🩷💚💛

The event brought together representatives of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Irish public institutions, Irish and Polish support organisations and diplomats accredited to Ireland🍀❤️🩷💚💛

13/05/2026

Ewa Sadowska and Andrew Keogh gave a presentation yesterday about Barka UK, at the Caritas Conference with Archbishop of Diocese, Richard Moth👏

The theme of the event was a Call for Deeper Social Engagement Collaboration in Action😍 The conference was attended by around 60 representatives of small, medium size organisations helping & people in .

was invited by Caritas to share the history, experience and current activities of helping people in 🔥❤️

15/04/2026

has some inspiring news from Scotland😍❤️Please read the article below:
https://www.bigissue.com/news/housing/homeless-village-social-bite-south-lanarkshire/

Social Bite's new homeless village at Harriet Gardens in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, is aiming to be a blueprint to address homelessness.

03/04/2026

Easter is a time of reflection and new beginnings❤️
May your Easter be filled with joy, happiness, and peace this season
🐣🐇🌷🪻🌼

Barka UK Team London

25/03/2026

Last weekend, Barka UK participated in the 2nd Barka Network Leaders and Streetworkers' Meeting, entitled "Thankful for the Path," which took place at the Barka Community Integration Association in Chudobczyce.😍❤️

Around 80 delegates, including Barka Leaders and Streetworkers from Poland and abroad, staff representatives of Barka HQ in Poznan and Barka programmes in the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Canada came to meet for 2 days to discuss education and development of Leaders and Streetworkers and to listen to Leaders’ testimonies, exchange experiences and ideas on helping people how to rebuild their lives.😀💪

Barka Leaders and Streetworkers, people who experienced sometimes many years of being homelessness, addicted and who turned their lives around, are teaching us all that everything is possible and every situation, as difficult as it can be, can be resolved in a positive way👍🩷❤️🩵

This year’s Meeting has been very special, as the Barka Network Leader and Streetworker Code was presented. The document is based on Barka's philosophy and 37 years of experience and was developed over past 15 months through monthly Zoom meetings with Leaders and Streetworkers.😀🩷👍

One of the important themes of the discussion panels during the event were crisis situations: how to overcome addiction, how to cope with challenges, how to prepare Barka Leader for work abroad, help them during crisis and to adjust to every day life after coming back from abroad❤️🩵

During the weekend, Barka Leaders and Streetworkers also underlined an importance of further education and personal development which would not only benefit them directly, but also help other people in Poland and abroad.

The growth plan for the Leaders and Streetworkers group for the next 3 years was discussed, which will focus on developing support structures and further education for the Leaders and Streetworkers, including the Leaders and Streetworkers Academy.🧡

Tu summarise the event, we can say that the 2 days of panel discussions, workshops, discussions in smaller groups (not to mention numerous beautifully prepared meals and coffee breaks!) showed us that Barka community spirit lives in every and each of us🩷❤️🩵💛💙💚

04/03/2026

Our BARKA UK London team also sees an increasing number of calls and requests regarding temporary accommodation😪
Sadly, the problem is now nationwide...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c178ppn5872o

West Berkshire Council says it is experiencing "increasing pressures" on housing and homelessness services.

17/02/2026

Representatives of , Ewa Sadowska and Andrew Keogh participated in an event of 'Faith and Homelessness', a meeting which took place in the Passage Day Care Centre in Caritas Westminster😍

The meeting was organised by the Centre for Homelessness Impact. The purpose was to explore together how homelessness leaders inspired by faith might build a movement to "shift homelessness responses from filling gaps to shaping solutions", with a new national agenda for homelessness prevention💪❤️💚🩵💛💜

In a time of hardening public narratives and increasing division, the discussions were about how Leaders in homelessness inspired by faith can provide a clear voice of hope and community😀❤️

It was inspiring to exchange views and experience with other organisations which help homeless people to re-build their lives🩷❤️💚🩵💛

06/02/2026

Last weekend, Ewa Sadowska and Andrew Keogh from attended an Annual Polish Ball in London under the Patronage of Duke of Kent😍

The Ball gathers many representatives of Polish diaspora in the UK.

A Polish dance ‘polonaise’ opened the event formally, followed by a speech of Anna Maria Andres, a daughter of a Polish military officer and politician, and a prominent member of the Polish government-in-exile in London.

Every year, funds raised from the Ball are given to one Polish organisation in the UK. This year, it was a charity OPOKA from Bristol, which has been supporting Polish women and children experiencing violence since 2012❤️😊

13/01/2026

Yesterday, Barka UK CEO, Ewa Sadowska and 70 other representatives met with the Polish President at the National Army Museum in during his state visit to the UK😀
The Polish diaspora included the families of war veterans who came to London from Italy with General Anders. Also present were the families of President Sabat and President Kaczorowski, Polish presidents in exile.

In his speech, the President emphasised that the Polish Government-in-Exile continued in London throughout the war and after, until 1990. He spoke, among other things, about the historical relations between Poland and Great Britain and the waves of Polish emigration to the UK.

Ewa Sadowska spoke about Fundacja Pomocy Wzajemnej Barka and work and cooperation with local governments and the Mayor of London, and Barka's mission since 1989.

The president said he'd heard of the Barka Foundation, but thought we only worked in Poland, did not know that we were present in many European countries. He was also interested in Barka name - according to him it was such a symbolic name and asked how we came to name our organisation that😀😍❤️💚💙💜