Homeless charity to open self-funded cafe

A homeless charity plans to open a self-funded cafe to expand its support for those in need.

Project 16:15 recently secured £20,000 in lottery funding to establish a site in Rushden, Northamptonshire, and is working to open it within eight to 12 weeks.

The charity, founded in 2017 by former rough sleeper Stan Robertson, provides breakfast to people living on the streets across the county.

Mr Robertson, who will manage the cafe, said: "It's quite scary, and I'm a little bit nervous, but it's an exciting step for us as a charity and I have good faith in the team."

Having experienced homelessness himself, the 56-year-old understands the "sense of worthlessness" and "lack of value" felt by many.

He first ran away from home at the age of nine and spent much of his youth in care before serving time in prison and moving to Northamptonshire in 1986.

For Mr Robertson, supporting rough sleepers is about more than just providing food.

He said: "When you're enabling someone to wake up with a hot meal and a hot drink, it warms you up. It gives people a feeling of 'I can achieve something today' and helps them engage with other services. We make them feel human again."

Since launching, Project 16:15 has served 100,000 meals – which Mr Robertson described as a "huge milestone".

He is now focused on expanding the service and added: "We've got the support of the head chef from the University of Northampton and other local businesses.

"But we're not stopping at one cafe. We've got a lot of future plans."

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