A temporary night assessment hub run by The Whitechapel Centre is preparing to reopen this winter, offering a safe space for rough sleepers as the city continues to face growing homelessness pressures.
00:00It's hoped the reopening of Liverpool's Night Assessment Hub will make a real difference for people facing homelessness during the coldest months of the year.
00:09The Whitechapel Centre, a local charity with long experience supporting people who find themselves without a home,
00:15has applied with Liverpool Council to reinstate the service from the 1st of December.
00:20If approved, it would run for at least six months, offering up to 30 spaces each night.
00:25The proposal, currently being considered by the Council's Planning Department, describes the hub as an emergency response to the city's housing crisis.
00:35It would operate daily between half past seven in the evening and eight o'clock in the morning.
00:40The building located in the city centre has previously been used for similar projects, most recently between December last year and July this year.
00:49The Whitechapel Centre says the number of people sleeping rough continues to rise, with many seeking help from its outreach team during the night.
00:57A planning statement submitted to Liverpool Council said the hub would provide another opportunity for intensive work with people sleeping rough to bring them indoors permanently.
01:08The hub wouldn't act as a traditional night shelter.
01:11Instead, it would provide a sit-up space, allowing people assessed as sleeping rough to stay overnight while staff work to find them accommodation or other supports.
01:20It would also offer warm food and assess each person's wider needs, helping to connect them with longer-term services.
01:28Access would be limited to people who are genuinely without accommodation, and the hub would not be open for direct entry from the street.
01:34Both the Council and the Whitechapel Centre say the aim is to reduce rough sleeping over winter and support people towards a more stable future.
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