Wrexham night shelter changed my life, says former seaman

Former Merchant Navy cook David Evans said the shelter had "completely changed my life"

A man whose life was "turned around" has thanked workers at a winter night shelter for helping find him a home.

David Evans was one of about 10 homeless people supported by the three-month project in Wrexham last year. It has returned for a second winter.

It provides guests like the former seaman with hot food and a bed during the coldest months of the year.

"It completely changed my life to be honest," he said.

One of the co-ordinators at Wrexham Church and Community Night Shelter said the aim was to do more than provide a "sticking plaster", sending people back on to the streets in the morning.

Mr Evans, who became homeless after family issues, lived on the streets of Wrexham for several months, sleeping in churchyards and doorways when he could not get a space in the town's permanent shelter.

He described that experience as "shocking" before being helped by the seasonal night shelter last year.

David Evans helps one of the volunteers to prepare dinner for guests

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"I was lucky enough to walk directly into a flat the moment I left the project," he said.

"The support you got from everybody, the volunteers especially, they give their own time to help us through to that next level, that next step.

"Luckily, through the council, they organised accommodation for me."

The night shelter, which moves venue nightly using several churches in Wrexham, is run by about 100 volunteers between January and March.

Sarah Wheat said the project aimed to help guests "move forward with their lives"

Guests are picked up and taken to the shelter where they can receive a home-cooked meal.

A cooked breakfast and a packed lunch are available the next morning.

The shelter is run in partnership between the charity Housing Justice Cymru, the Diocese of St Asaph, and Wrexham County Borough Council.

Sarah Wheat, from Housing Justice Cymru, said: "We don't want to just provide a 10-week sticking plaster and then people go back on the streets.

"We do what we can to work with other agencies and the council to make sure as many of our guests as possible move forward with their lives."