Emergency winter shelter to reopen

An emergency shelter for homeless people will reopen on Monday to support people living on the streets during the coldest months.

The mobile building on Symonds Street in Hereford was previously a classroom, but opens temporarily over the winter to help rough sleepers.

The shelter can accommodate up to 18 people, 14 males and four females, with four overflow "pods" on the site which can be used if the service becomes oversubscribed.

"We believe that this will meet the demand in the run up to Christmas and afterwards," Herefordshire Council said.

Rough sleeping had fallen by 42.8% in the year from August 2023 to August 2024, with the number of people on the streets falling from 21 to 12, the council said in a report published last year.

Temporary accommodation placements increased across the year, with places rising from 113 to 137.

The shelter, which opened for the first time in December 2023, was scheduled to close in March, however it was extended to June, following "extensive use".

The accommodation, run by the charity Caring for Communities and People on behalf of the council, will reopen its doors at 20:00 GMT.

It is not yet known how long this year's service will run for.

Chair of the Herefordshire Homeless Forum Christine Price said: "Anyone can become homeless at any time for a wide range of reasons, but everyone deserves a safe, secure place to call home."

Earlier this year the council confirmed the temporary shelter will continue to open over the winter months until 2028, however the announcement was met with concerns that a more long-term solution needed.

Green councillor Mark Woodall, who has been involved in homeless provision organised by churches, previously told the BBC he thought the council were becoming complacent by not investing in a more permanent structure.

The council said they are "learning from last year" and will be assisting those using the service to access "more long-term, suitable and sustainable accommodation".

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