together concerned after the death of a homeless man in Croydon. Their interests coincided with those of Rev Martin Wharton of Croydon Parish Church who had spent many nights walking round the borough meeting homeless people. Rev Martin was the first chair of the organisation, and for the first sixteen years Nightwatch was based at the Parish Church Hall.Nightwatch built up facilities and hostels over the following years, always retaining a strong volunteer base. By the early 1990s, there were three Nightwatch hostels but homelessness in Croydon was increasing. The effect of government policies and general social changes massively increased the numbers of homeless people we were seeing while at the same time restricting the availability of new housing.