A drop-in service, which offers rough sleepers the chance to have their own home, is proving to be more popular than ever as it celebrates its tenth year.
The Shrewsbury Ark, which is based near the town’s train station, holds the sessions on Thursday mornings between 9am and 11am for those who are homeless and would like the chance to be housed.
The service, which first began in September 2008, is run by Shropshire Housing Alliance (SHA) and Shrewsbury Homes For All (SHFA) and it allows those that are living on the streets to register their interest with a housing support worker.
Emma Bebb is a support worker for SHA and said they have had numerous successful cases where homeless people have been housed.
“The Ark is a good place to meet people as everyone in the area, that is homeless or sleeping rough, knows where it is. It is great that we can offer this service and we are there to support people in the transition from sleeping on the streets to being in their own home. This can often be difficult as these clients are usually dealing with a lot of other issues as well, and so it usually isn’t a smooth transition. However, we have helped numerous people leave the streets and move into a home of their own.”
Tim Compton, who has been manager at Shrewsbury Ark for nine years, said that helping homeless people is harder now than it has ever been.
“We have seen a lot of changes in the kind of problems clients are facing, and we are busier and dealing with more complex issues than ever before,” he said.
“We have seen cuts to supported housing as well as mental health services, but the problem of substance misuse is growing rapidly due to the synthetic drugs which are cheap and accessible. The problem with drugs such as Spice and Mamba is they are debilitating, you try to talk to someone to explain the services that are available to them and often it’s like they aren’t there. People can come into the Ark and register for support with the advice team, and the fewer places we refer them on to the better. By having the housing support officers here on a Thursday morning means we are not only working together but people can get the help they need without having to leave the Ark.”
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