Staff at a charity café which was forced to close due to repeated break-ins have thanked the local community for its support during a “devastating” time.
The Hive Community Café in Streatham Hill, which provides work placements to people with learning disabilities, has suffered £75,000 in damage after being broken into four times in the space of three months.
The café was burgled on 13 October and 22 December and, after the windows were replaced, they were smashed two more times on 24 December and 6 January, when a 28-year-old man was arrested for the 13 October burglary.
The cafe has been closed since then because of the risk of further damage.
Rachel Aldis, who was on a placement at Hive when the attacks happened, said: “The café means everything.
“When the break-ins happened, it just affected me quite badly, it was devastating to see.
“It’s a family café, we [treat] each other like family.
“It’s been a hard time for everyone.”
The 39-year-old plans to marry her partner of 18 years soon and wants to hold the reception at Hive, which was set up two years ago by the Rathbone Society to secure hospitality jobs for people with learning disabilities.
The charity provides training for roles such as baristas, front of house and back of house staff.
Rathbone Society CEO Andrew Preston said the response from the local community has been “absolutely fantastic”, with many customers checking in on staff wellbeing.
A GoFundMe set up to repair the windows and install security shutters has raised over £8,000 so far – but Preston says the impact of lost business since the café closed can’t be underestimated.
He said he believes it’s possible the incidents could be hate crimes because of the repetition and short time frame, adding: “It’s a sinister sort of unpleasant feeling for the staff.
“It’s hard to rule [hate crime] out, it’s very deliberate.
“It’s not just a financial thing, it’s having a huge impact on the employment and life chances of the people who work there.”
Alice Jones is a youth engagement officer at the Rathbone Society and also works at the café supporting people on work placements.
She said: “It’s frustrating because this place is so important to so many people, it’s the heart of the community.
“For me personally, it doesn’t really matter who did it, just that it doesn’t happen again and we can rebuild what we had that was so beautiful.”
MP for Streatham and Croydon North Steve Reed said he was “appalled” by the attacks, and called for more police and tougher enforcement in Streatham.
Reed, who visited the café in January, added: “Hate crime against people with disabilities is abhorrent and must not be tolerated anywhere in our community or the country.
“I am urging the police to take the action necessary to bring those responsible to justice and prevent future attacks.”
The Metropolitan Police confirmed it is still investigating the incidents and said it is in contact with staff at the cafe.
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