Rough Sleeping Hub To Reopen As Liverpool’s Housing Crisis Continues
The building in the city centre will help up 30 people without shelter per night, reports the Liverpool Echo.
As the number of people experiencing homelessness in Liverpool continues to increase, a support hub is preparing to reopen for winter. Since January last year, in partnership with Liverpool Council, the Whitechapel Centre has operated a night assessment hub to provide a safe space for those who find themselves without a roof over their head.
Plans have been submitted to the city council to reinstate the service for at least another six months from December 1 for up to 30 people a night. The Whitechapel Centre is a charitable organisation with significant experience of working with vulnerable individuals who may find themselves rough sleeping. If signed off by the city council’s planning department, the night assessment hub will be a temporary emergency response to the current housing crisis.
A planning statement attached to an application to change the use of a city centre building previously used to support rough sleepers set out how the scheme would work. It said: “The number of people experiencing homelessness, including people sleeping rough continues to increase. A high number of these people are approaching The Whitechapel Centre for help and assistance during night, via the Outreach Team.” The building in the city centre was previously used between January and March last year and between December 2024 and July this year.
The Whitechapel Centre, Liverpool Council, members of the public, businesses and other users of the city centre have valid concerns about the health and wellbeing of vulnerable people who remain outdoors during winter, it said. The statement added: “The Hub will provide a safe space from which to assess the housing and support needs of people finding themselves on the streets, providing another opportunity for intensive work with people sleeping rough to bring them indoors permanently and reduce rough sleeping in the city overall during the winter period.”
The hub will not act as a night shelter, but people assessed as sleeping rough will be permitted to stay overnight in a sit-up style provision until accommodation or other solution is sourced. It will provide a similar service to a day centre in that food will be provided and each person will have their other needs assessed while staying warm. Open between 7.30pm and 8am daily, the facility will be restricted to people sleeping rough only. No direct access will be permitted and anyone who has accommodation will not be allowed to access the service.
