Night shelter opens for the homeless

People sleeping rough over the winter nights can now come inside thanks to the creation of a new Night Shelter.

The 26-bed shelter has being provided by the City Council and run by local charity Julian House. Renamed The Junction - the former Spice Island restaurant in Magdalen Street will provide overnight sleeping accommodation for homeless people between November and the end of March.

The shelter opened on Thursday 1 November.

Funding for the facility has come from a successful application to the Government’s national initiative to reduce the number of rough sleepers. Exeter received £481,600 to provide support to people living on the streets and help them back into accommodation.

Cllr Emma Morse, Lead Councillor for People, said: “Last year we were unable to find the space to provide a dedicated winter shelter and instead used extra capacity at Gabriel House hostel and St Petrock’s centre.

“We’ve worked hard to identify a suitable site and Spice Island is an ideal location. Everyone in Exeter should have a roof over their head and providing this facility means that no-one should be sleeping outside over the cold winter months.”

In 2016, the City Council used a building in Market Street for a dedicated night shelter but the practice of providing an overnight facility dates back 51 years. In 1967, the City Council gave a free lease on a building near the Quay so that homeless people could come in out of the cold.

Beyond April, it is hoped that the building will be used as a community facility for the homeless, providing educational courses, arts and crafts and other meaningful activities.