Church Night Shelter Protects The Vulnerable
The Caerphilly Churches Night Shelter Project has been deemed a huge success, with the project providing support and resources to homeless individuals throughout the winter months within Caerphilly county borough.
From December 2015 to March 2016, volunteers have gone above and beyond the call of duty which has enabled the project to support 23 homeless men and women by providing shelter and hot meals, as well as essential support and advice. Over the 121 nights that the churches were open to the homeless, the project was able to find secure tenancies for 14 people, as well as helping 1 person to successfully gain employment.
Key church co-ordinators ran the night shelters with the help of volunteers, who were an integral part of sustaining the project with a total of 6,410 volunteer hours being carried out in total.
The project was piloted in 2013, where three churches took part. This has since expanded with 11 churches now forming part of this successful project which offers rough sleepers a safe place to stay overnight with warm food and advice.
Cllr David Poole, Cabinet Member for Housing commented: “The Caerphilly Churches Night Shelter Project has gone from strength to strength since it began in 2013, helping to protect those who are most vulnerable during the difficult winter months. The partnership between Caerphilly Council, Cornerstone and local churches has enabled the project to provide much needed support and assistance to the homeless, helping people find longer term accommodation, as well as access to training and employment”.
Caerphilly County Borough Council has commissioned a short documentary about its work in preventing rough sleeping which can be found on Caerphilly County Borough Council’s YouTube channel:
The Caerphilly Churches Night Shelter Project is run in partnership with Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Housing Advice Team, Cornerstone Support Services Ltd and local churches.
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