Shrewsbury's streets would be a 'mess' without homeless charity
The Shrewsbury Ark are finishing an overnight sleep-out to raise money to continue their support
Homeless people in Shrewsbury told us the streets would be a 'mess' without the support of charity 'The Shrewsbury Ark'.
The charity is completing an overnight sleep-out this morning (16th May) to fundraise so they can continue to offer their services to homeless people in the town.
"They have given me hope"
Brent Kelly has been coming to The Shrewsbury Ark since 2018. They have helped him find some temporary accommodation, in the hope of securing his own one-bedroom flat in future.
He told us the streets would be a 'mess' without The Shrewsbury Ark's support: "When you are on the streets you need food to survive.
"You might do things you would not ordinarily do, in the pursuit of survival. The Shrewsbury Ark has taken that need away from me, they have given me hope," he said.
What is a sleep-out?
The sleep-out is in partnership with CEO Sleepout.
It involves business leaders in the area spending the night outdoors to raise money to fight homelessness.
The money raised will also go to The Shrewsbury Food Hub and The Shrewsbury Town FC Foundation.
"Lots of people are being pushed to the breadline"
It is being held at Shrewsbury Town Football Club's Croud Meadow stadium. It is one of the first sleep-out's organised by CEO Sleepout outside of a city.
Kim Tunbridge at The Shrewsbury Ark said this was because of the numbers of homeless people in Shropshire:
"Rising rents and a lack of affordable housing means that lots of people are being pushed to the bread line and living in unsuitable circumstances," she said.
The Government said it is investing in building more social and affordable housing, after announcing a £2 billion injection of new grant funding in March.
"People are not choosing to be out on the streets"
Kim told us that one of the main issues her service users face when sleeping rough, is aggression from other people.
She said that she wanted their sleep-out to highlight the importance of being kind to people on the streets:
"People are not choosing to be out on the streets. It is a horrible situation to be in. One of the best things you can do is offer a cup of tea or a kind word," she said.
"We all have the power to make a difference"
A spokesperson from CEO Sleepout said:
"We are thrilled that Shrewsbury's bighearted business community has come together to tough out a night outdoors at Croud Meadow.
"The funds we raise will do so much good while the experience itself will unlock understanding and compassion around some difficult issues.
"Together, we all have the power to make a difference," they said.