A church in Leicester city centre is being transformed into an emergency winter shelter to ensure no one is forced to sleep rough as temperatures fall.
The temporary accommodation, run by local charity One Roof Leicester, will operate until 31 March.
Picture credit: Leicester City Council
Funded through Government grants allocated to Leicester City Council, Rutland County Council and district councils, the shelter will provide 20 beds each night, with capacity rising by a further 19 places during severe weather. These beds supplement existing provision offered by the city council and local charities.
Referrals to the shelter will be made by councils and partner agencies, and guests will also receive wider support, with staff working to help them secure longer-term accommodation.
Cllr Elly Cutkelvin, Leicester’s deputy city mayor for housing, said the funding had come at a crucial time. “We received extra funding from the Government this year to help us with the greatly increased demand on our homeless services. Around £61,000 of this is going towards the running of the shelter, which will provide a lifeline for rough sleepers who, for various reasons, aren’t accessing existing emergency accommodation in the city or county,” she said.
Salma Ravat, CEO of One Roof Leicester, said volunteers were ready to welcome those in need. “At the winter night shelter we will be offering a place to stay overnight to people who would otherwise be rough sleeping in the city and county. Our group of dedicated volunteers will provide a warm welcome and safety to our guests every night.”
The city council also continues to operate the Dawn Centre hostel, which is open year-round and provides 46 rooms of temporary accommodation alongside 19 emergency beds.
Leicester City Council received a one-off payment of £880,000 from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government in October. The funding is also supporting two additional outreach workers, upgrades at the Dawn Centre, wi-fi for families in temporary accommodation, and further work with Help the Homeless.
The council’s outreach teams patrol the city daily to support rough sleepers, while Help the Homeless is funded to continue this work in the evenings and at weekends. Over the past year, the council has spent around £24 million on homelessness services.
