Church provides shelter for homeless
News Archive > General > Church provides shelter for homeless
THERE are fresh calls for agencies to work together to tackle Newquay’s growing homeless problem by employing an outreach worker on the town’s streets.
The appeal comes in the week it emerged that seven homeless people slept in St Columb Minor Church on one night last week.
The church’s Rev Chris McQuillen-Wright says an emergency shelter “won’t break the cycle” to help those most in need. He spoke to Newquay town councillors last week in a bid to kick-start the drive for an outreach worker.
He said: “This is the way in which we can make a change. There’s no point chasing something that’s not going to happen, like a shelter. An outreach worker, for around £40,000, could be working on the streets and signposting people to the correct help and making sure agencies do their job.
“It could break that cycle people find themselves in and would be a lot more realistic. For this to work, everyone needs to come together and agree to work on the same issue. People assume that when a client has a problem they’ll knock on a door and say ‘I need help’.
“But unfortunately, clients that really need help don’t do that. An outreach worker would work on the streets and go out and create trusting relationships with these people. That would enable them to say ‘can you help me?’.
“They might need a birth certificate or ask for help to go on a detox. It’s all about reaching out and helping rather than sitting and waiting for people to knock on your door.
“Seven people slept in the church on one night last week – if those people weren’t there they would have been on the streets.”
In another move, the shower facilities at Newquay Railway Station could be opened up to allow rough sleepers – of which there are a number in the town centre – to wash. The problems have sparked Newquay’s Mayor to say it is “vital” that the town council gets involved with the situation and “add their weight to the issue and improve the homeless situation in Newquay”.
Cllr Andy Hannan added: “From a moral point of view we have a duty to work towards improving the situation for these unfortunate members of our society and as councillors we also have a duty to tackle this issue to minimise the effect it has on our visitors and residents.
“The committee will be writing to Cornwall Council requesting that they look into the possibility of opening the railway station showers to give immediate assistance to the homeless. Of course we will need to gain full council approval if any funding is required to put the idea into action.”
