Street Angels charity to open day centre

Homeless Street Angels relies on volunteers and fundraising to keep going

A charity which helps homeless people has achieved its dream of buying a day centre to provide more support to those in need.

Leeds-based Homeless Street Angels has raised more than £100,000 to put down as a deposit for a centre in Sheepscar.

Named after founders Becky and Shelley Joyce's sister, who died when the charity was established in 2017, Abi House has always been their main goal.

Becky said the centre would be a "family-orientated space where people could feel safe".

Abi House is expected to open in September

Becky, from Alwoodley, said she had experienced addiction when she was younger and had been through "dark times" so understood the struggles of those the charity helped.

"To the commissioned services, some of the people come across as difficult and won't work with them because of their issues," she said.

"But it's a case of finding out why they have got the problems they do and how best to address them.

"It's about building their confidence and giving them life skills so they can break out of the cycle they're in.

"Every Wednesday, I take some of the people I help to the dentist so they can get their smiles back."

Becky and Shelley Joyce said they "lived and breathed" the charity

She said the inspiration for the charity came following the death of their sister.

"We threw ourselves into helping the guys on the streets to keep ourselves busy and then we saw the difference we were making so we worked even harder."

She said their sister's three children were involved with the charity work and she was "really proud" of they help they gave

"It's the whole family in the charity, our mum is involved too. For us, it's something good to have come out of a really sad situation."

The new centre, on Claypitt Lane in Sheepscar, will include a reception area, a furniture store, art room and kitchen.

It will also be home to a food bank to help the hundreds of people that the charity has on its register.

The base also means that the charity can take on more volunteers, which in turn would "help save the lives of the people we support".

"For those on the streets, we're the closet thing they've got to family. We are their lifeline."

Abi House is expected to be open by September.

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