Homeless charity revamp 'exceeds expectations'

The ark reopened in November, after being forced to close by anti-social behaviour

A charity helping homeless people in Shrewsbury has said its decision to close as a walk-in centre has led to a better standard of support.

Shrewsbury Ark reopened in November as a referral-only service, having closed in September over problems with anti-social behaviour.

Emily Bell, who chairs the charity, said a third of those who had approached the new-look service had found homes.

"It's been as good as we could have hoped for - it's exceeded our expectations," she said.

"We were concerned that it would be very difficult for those who'd been accessing our services."

Having feared a backlash from clients who struggled with the change, she said: "That's not happened at all.

"We've had maybe 15 through the doors since we reopened, and five of them have been rehomed already."

The new-look service is taking a more structured approach

The revamp was prompted by an eight-week closure after growing problems with anti-social behaviour.

Ms Bell said drug dealers and scammers targeted vulnerable clients: "It was very difficult when there were 50 people walking through the door to try and keep a lid on that. It was a constant feeling of being on high alert."

Service user Davie said the new approach had allowed him to "catch up on sleep in the calm atmosphere" and had meant he did not need to carry his belongings around with him all day "in the cold and rain".

Sharp contrast

He is among those to find housing before Christmas, having had support from the Ark and the local council.

He even found time to project manage the charity's contribution to the Christmas tree festival at St Chad's church.

Ms Bell said the new way of working marked a sharp contrast with what had been going on before.

"They'd have come in here - we might just have got their name and given them a cup of tea," she said.

"They might have been coming for weeks before we actually had an opportunity to sit down and work out what their situation was."