Blackburn rough sleeper pods give homeless people hope

Charlie has been living on the streets "on and off" for five years

A man who lived in a supermarket car park for five years has said winter shelter pods being offered to rough sleepers have given him "hope".

Ten self-contained pods provide emergency housing in Blackburn for those who have nowhere else to go.

The idea came during the Covid-19 pandemic when the government provided funding to local authorities to accommodate homeless people.

Charlie said: "If it wasn't for this place, I'd be living in a car."

"I appreciate my bed, I appreciate the food they give me, I appreciate the company, I appreciate everything," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"I didn't have a shower for eight weeks, and when I came here and got a shower, oh my God, I felt great.

"It gives me hope, I can see light at the end of the tunnel."

The self-contained accommodation is available between November and March

The pods, housed on the former Shadsworth Leisure Centre site, offer a safe space for vulnerable people between November and March when temperatures plummet.

Charlie has been living on the streets "on and off" for five years.

"I've been living at Morrisons car park, at the back of B&M Bargains, or in different cars," he said.

"Here it's warm, I've got hot water. You don't realise what you take for granted.

"When you become homeless you realise it's the basic things you're missing out on."

Blackburn with Darwen Council has agreed to fund the pods for the next two years at a cost of about £1,800 per person per month.

The pods have a bed, toilet, shower, key-coded door and on-site security

They are insulated, have a bed, toilet, shower, key-coded door and have on-site security.

The council said it hoped the pods could be a "stepping stone" towards independent living as staff engage with rough sleepers.

Council Leader Phil Riley said the pods "give us an opportunity to give people a lot of support and encouragement for a change of lifestyle".

He said: "There is no reason anyone in this borough should be living on the streets, there is support of every sort available, and that's really the long-term value of this.

"But we have to encourage people to take up the offers.

"Our teams are continually engaging with people who they find in these difficult circumstances to point them to the help that's available."