Homeless shelter plans unveiled in Preston

A new all-year-round homeless shelter could be set to open in Preston city centre.

Planning permission is being sought for the facility – which would be operated by Preston City Council – in vacant retail premises on Market Street.

In a recent consultation, rough sleepers told the authority they need somewhere that provides more than just a bed for the night – and instead would like a base for a range of services that will enable them to take the “first steps” away from a life on the street.

The council also hopes the proposed scheme will reduce incidents of “aggressive begging” in the city centre.

It comes after the authority ran a similar, temporary, service from a church hall in the city during the winter.   That facility, which closed in March, was open whatever the weather and so was itself a step up from the legally required accommodation local authorities have to provide when the temperature is forecast to drop below freezing point for three consecutive nights.

As the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) revealed last year, Preston has been given extra government funding – totalling £200,000 – for homelessness services because of the number of people identified as sleeping rough in the city in 2023.   During counts which took place in October, 72 individuals were spotted spending the night on Preston’s streets across the month, with 25 on a single given date.

According to the council’s planning application, the survey of rough sleepers found that the majority “did not feel ready” for the permanent housing options available to them, but were also “adamant they did not want a traditional night shelter to sleep in”.

Instead, they were looking for services which provide “a warm, safe place” and which also offer access to support for drug, alcohol and mental health problems, as well as medical care like wound dressing.

The new facility would act as a walk-in centre for such services and would also have space to accommodate 15 people on any given night.  As the LDRS has previously reported, the 14-bed emergency accommodation already provided in the city by Preston charity The Foxton Centre is full almost every night.

The empty shop identified for the council-run shelter was chosen because its city centre location would make it “a safe space”, easily accessible by the police and local authority street safety officers – something which the council says has been highlighted as being important both for rough sleepers themselves and the staff who would work in the facility.

The authority says “robust” risk assessments would be carried out by the outreach caseworkers who would refer rough sleepers to the centre.  While it acknowledges the “potential” for anti-social behaviour in and around the building, it says the church hall operation over the winter has shown this can be reduced through by “trained staff” and generating a sense of “ownership” amongst those using the service.

It is hoped that the venue will positively influence the “lifestyle choices” of vulnerable rough sleepers and improve their health and wellbeing – as well as reducing low-level criminal activity in the city centre, the planning statement notes.

“It will also reduce the negative impacts and [images] the public perceive when they see a rough sleeper and/or street beggar,” it adds.

Under the proposal – which will be determined by town hall planning officers, acting independently of the arm of the council seeking permission for the accommodation – the ground floor of the building would provide a café and activity area, with the first floor used for sleeping cubicles.

The rough sleepers surveyed also requested access to “meaningful” activities like arts and crafts, as well as a space simply to relax.

The vacant former Office World building on Ringway was considered as a possible base for the new shelter, but was deemed too large and in need of too much work to bring it up to standard.