Shrewsbury hotel opens its doors to rough sleepers again

Chris Bennett (L) was put up in Mike Matthew's hotel during the pandemic after leaving hospital and finding himself homeless

A hotel which welcomed almost 60 homeless people earlier this year is offering accommodation again as England heads towards a second lockdown.

Nine homeless people are still living at The Prince Rupert in Shrewsbury after being housed there in March.

Manager Mike Matthews said all 70 rooms will be available for people in need.

Homeless charity Shelter said councils must provide safe accommodation to those in need during the new lockdown which starts on Thursday.

Under government guidance hotels, hostels and other accommodation should only open for those who have to travel for work purposes, from Thursday.

The Prince Rupert Hotel is a grade-II listed building in the centre of Shrewsbury

Mr Matthews said he has started a dialogue with Shropshire Council and will open the hotel doors to rough sleepers and vulnerable people from Wednesday.

Fifty-seven people were housed at the Prince Rupert during the previous lockdown.

One man has been hired as a chef and Mr Matthews had plans to hire another, but this has been postponed until after lockdown.

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Chris Bennett, who stayed at the hotel during the last lockdown after finding himself homeless after leaving hospital, has now been placed into council housing.

Shropshire Council placed a full-time position in the hotel to help people out and the hotel continued to welcome paying-guests after the lockdown.

Shelter said homelessness was "a grim reality for increasing numbers of people this year"

Mr Matthews described it as "an experiment". "

"I've puzzled why it hasn't been rolled out across the country," he said.

"These are totally unprecedented times. These buildings shouldn't be closed, they should be open to the most vulnerable."

Although the month-long lockdown in England is expected to end on 2 December, Mr Matthews expects to be catering for rough sleepers and homeless people over Christmas and beyond.

"I would be really disappointed if the hospitality industry doesn't welcome homeless people during the winter months," he said.

Laura Fisher, Shropshire Council's manager for housing and occupational therapy, said the hotel, and other local hotels and B&Bs, had been "brilliant" in accommodating rough sleepers.

"Current figures show we have 15 homeless people on our streets, but are working with local hotels and The Shrewsbury Ark to ensure we offer accommodation to all of these, as well as 120 households placed in B&Bs," he said.

Homelessness charity Shelter said "unprecedented" numbers of people were living in temporary accommodation during the lockdown in Spring.

"With the economic effects of the pandemic starting to bite and unemployment rising, tragically many more people could find themselves homeless in the months ahead," Shelter's CEO, Polly Neate, said.

"We simply cannot allow more people to be made street homeless right now."