A NIGHT shelter run by churches to house people sleeping rough in Wrexham has opened.

More than 130 volunteers from church and community groups in the town are offering safe beds, a hot meal and a warm welcome for up to ten people every night for the next ten weeks during the coldest period of year.

The project, set up by Housing Justice Cymru and supported by the Diocese of St Asaph, is being run in partnership with Wrexham Borough Council and other agencies to tackle the growing problem of homelessness in the town.

Wrexham has the second highest number of people sleeping rough in Wales and the highest per head of the population.

The numbers sleeping rough on the town’s streets rose from 17 in 2015 to 44 in 2017. Wrexham Council funds 16 year-round emergency beds in the Ty Nos night shelter on Holt Road, but runs at near capacity so the church shelters will nearly double provision during the cold weather.

The shelters were run as a pilot project over 11 separate nights during last year’s cold snap in March with three church venues participating. Guests were picked up by mini-bus from a central location and over 60 volunteers donated their time to be their hosts serving meals, some of which were made from food donated by Wrexham Food Bank.

The scheme has now been extended to run seven nights a week from January to March.

Stephen Convill of Housing Justice Cymru said: “Seven different churches across Wrexham have offered their church or hall as a venue for the night shelter. Teams of trained volunteers are welcoming the guests every night, providing hospitality and continuity.

“For ten weeks our guests will be able to access a bed for the night, meaning they don’t have to wake up each morning wondering where they will sleep that night. We hope this sort of stability means they have a chance to focus on other issues and engage with agencies to help them out of homelessness.”

Housing Justice Cymru is working with Housing Officers from Wrexham Council to support those coming to the night shelter.

Council leader Cllr Mark Pritchard, said: “This is an innovative approach to a difficult and emotive problem, and it’s only through working with partners that we can provide these new approaches and, hopefully, give vulnerable people the support they need.”

Housing Justice Cymru is a Christian charity which works with churches to tackle homelessness and housing need.