New Centre For The Homeless To Open In Liverpool

The 24-hour venue, based in a converted warehouse on Cotton Street near Bramley-Moore Dock, will officially open on October 10th.

The new shelter is the idea of Signature Living boss Lawrence Kenwright, who says he wants to “stop people dying on our streets”. The 52-year-old hotel developer and his wife, Katie, opened up the Kingsway House building in Hatton Garden as a homeless shelter last year, before it closed in March. He hopes that the new shelter will provide a “warm safe environment” for the homeless people of the city, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Speaking of the new venture, Mr Kenwright said: “[I’m] looking forward to taking many of our homeless off our streets again and into a warm safe environment. This is all about Liverpool people looking after their own.”

Amongst the offerings in the new building is a pool table, table tennis, chess boards and beanbags. The venue, which has capacity for 50 people each night, is also set to offer a joinery and upholstery workshop to enable users of the facility to learn new skills and improve their job prospects. Mr Kenwright has confirmed that medical professionals will be on call to the facility and drug and alcohol counsellors will be on site at all times. He is also hoping to feed approximately 200 homeless people from the shelter during the day.

The Liverpool businessman took to social media to show off images of the venue, and many users have compared it to the Big Brother house. One user, May James, said: “Wow Lawrence that’s amazing, it could be a Big Brother house, well done.” Carla Marie added: “Absolutely fabulous it made me cry… it’s better than the Big Brother house… well done to you and your team.”

Councillor Lynnie Hinnigan, Liverpool’s Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “I welcome any support to help tackle rough sleeping. Lawrence is one of Liverpool’s most prominent business people but, despite his workload, it is clear that he and his family are passionate about taking action to help people faced with homelessness. His commitment to supporting the city address the problem is undeniable.”

“I have met with him to discuss the proposals and I hope that we can work together. Working together is key to addressing the issue, as a council we spend £12m a year tackling homelessness. The mayor is fully committed and open to help from our residents, the business community and the many voluntary and community organisations out there to eradicate homelessness in our city”