Lifeline offered to city's rough sleepers as 'perfect storm' fuels a rise in homelessness

CHARITY'S WINTER SHELTER SCHEME RETURNS

- By HANNAH RICHARDSON

A POTENTIALLY lifesaving initiative aims to help Leicester's rough sleepers this winter.

The scheme, based at a city centre church, aims to ensure “no-one has to sleep rough when the temperatures dip,” according to homelessness charity One Roof.

Each night, volunteers will set up 20 beds in the hall of the church, which the Mercury has agreed not to name for safeguarding reasons.

An additional 19 beds will be provided during periods of severe weather to ensure rough sleepers "try to minimise their time on the streets as much as possible".

Leicester City Council, Rutland County Council and the county's district and borough councils will all be able to refer people to the accommodation, which will be open throughout December, January, February and March.

Salma Ravat, CEO of One Roof, which is operating the shelter, said: "The aim of the shelter is first of all to get people who are rough sleeping off the streets into safe accommodation.

"The whole point of it is to prevent somebody falling seriously ill or even dying on the streets, to save a life basically.

"But then it's about saying 'okay, now you have come in, let's see what we can do as different services, different providers, to support you to stay off the streets and get you into, first of all, temporary accommodation and then hopefully from there into permanent accommodation'. So, trying to minimise their time on the streets as much as possible.