homeless

New Bishop of Exeter becomes Patron of city’s homelessness charity

The new Bishop of Exeter, Rt Rev Dr Mike Harrison, has become the new Patron of Exeter’s local homelessness charity, St Petrock’s immediately following him taking up the position formally at the start of this month.

Bishop Mike, who took up the post on Saturday 2nd November, has a long association with homelessness charities since the very beginnings of his church career as a curate in South Lambeth, and later in Bradford and Leicester, and so didn’t hesitate before accepting the invitation to become St Petrock’s Patron, before he had even formally become Bishop.

The...

Double celebration for Hair At The Academy

It was fun, fizz, and frolics at a party for over 50 guests to mark HATA’S significant 20th Birthday held at Samuel Jones on Exeter Quay.

Founded by Mary Pugsley MBE IN 2004, Hair At The Academy is a unique training programme delivering hairdressing, barbering, customer service, Math & English, supporting vulnerable young adults in and around Exeter towards completion of work-ready qualifications.

And it was a double celebration as HATA announced its newly formed sister organisation, Hair in the Community (HITC), a not-for-profit social enterprise, which kickstarted...

City’s new MP becomes Exeter homelessness charity’s patron

Exeter’s new MP, Steve Race, has become a formal supporter of Exeter’s main homelessness charity, by becoming its patron.

St Petrock’s delivers breakfasts and lunches to rough sleepers and people who are vulnerably housed, five days a week, as well as providing a range of services, including survival gear, clothing and footwear, showers, laundry, benefits advice and clinical psychology and emotional support for people who are often understandably very distressed at their extremely difficult circumstances. The charity also provides supported accommodation for people who are...

Newly formed Hair in the Community kickstarts its unique barbering school with two sisters from St Petrock's

Hair at the Academy (HATA) announces its newly formed sister organisation ‘Hair in the Community CIC’ (HITC) a not-for-profit social enterprise, has kickstarted its free Community School of Barbering by taking on two sisters from St Petrock’s.

HITC has worked closely with St Petrock’s, an Exeter-based charity working on behalf of people experiencing homelessness, by providing free barbering services, including complimentary haircuts each Tuesday, and actively seeking two learners to have a golden opportunity to receive vocational education and training to become fully qualified...

Exeter homelessness charity launches its first manifesto

A city-based charity launches its own manifesto this week, which is aimed at focusing minds on the traumatic subject of homelessness and its causes.

The two-sided A5 pamphlet, which is St Petrock’s first such document released during a general election period, is now being distributed across city centre venues as well as being available on the charity’s website .

Director, Peter Stephenson, said: “Rough sleeping is the miniscule tip of a gigantic UK homelessness iceberg. Every single day in our centre we see the impact of decisions made at ministerial level, so we...

City homelessness charity launches ‘myth-busting’ survey

An Exeter based homelessness charity launches a survey today aimed at raising awareness of the causes of homelessness, while also giving an insight into the life of people sleeping on the streets.

It’s believed to be the first opinion gathering poll of its kind in the city and St Petrock’s staff hope it will provide valuable information about people’s attitudes and knowledge about rough sleepers and the causes of homelessness, which will help inform the charity’s communications and fundraising plans.

Visits to St Petrock’s are soaring

There are currently between...

“Big Night Out” raises over £4,500 for Exeter homelessness charity

On Friday 12th April, 18 intrepid people slept out to raise over £4,500 for St Petrock’s, Exeter’s local homelessness charity, as part of the charity’s first ever #BigNightOut.

The event, in which people were invited to “sleep rough” in their gardens, sheds, on sofas or in the countryside, aimed both to raise awareness of homelessness and the challenges faced by rough sleepers in Exeter, and to encourage people to give financially towards the cost of running the vital services St Petrock’s provides to help rough sleepers survive and find a way off the streets.

Rowan...

City charity invites residents to camp in their gardens for local homeless people

An Exeter-based homelessness charity is inviting people to sleep out under the stars in April, to help raise money for its work with rough sleepers.

But St Petrock’s Big Night Out is a sleep-out with a difference, as participants will bed down in safe locations such as their gardens, garages or workplaces, rather than in one central place.

St Petrock’s Director, Peter Stephenson, who will be settling down in his shed for the night, said: “People’s experiences on Friday 12 April won’t compare with the physical and mental trauma of being homeless of course. However, it’ll...

Hair at the Academy shines a spotlight of hope for Exeter’s homeless community

Exeter-based Hair at The Academy (HATA) is making waves of positive change for those who need it most. They will shine a spotlight on supporting people experiencing homelessness in the city with their remarkable work in the community by extending their free education provision to empower those most in need.

Following the resounding success of their pilot projects where they ran hairdressing and barbering training courses for homeless people at their salon in Kimberly Road, Exeter, a registered VTCT Centre of Excellence - one of the UK’s market-leading vocational and technical...

Rough sleepers found more permanent accommodation following cold spell

Twenty rough sleepers took advantage of extra measures to bring them inside in Exeter during the recent cold spell, figures have shown.

And nine of those have now found more permanent accommodation, the City Council has revealed.

The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol was in place for 17 days between 5 and 22 January, as overnight temperatures regularly dipped below freezing.

The Protocol makes extra emergency accommodation available to rough sleepers.

Cllr Martin Pearce, Lead Councillor for Communities and Homelessness Prevention, said activating the...

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