As a local business who like many of the local community were surprised to hear about the proposed shelter back in July/Aug 2018. We were however in the minority as we supported the opening of the shelter.
Homelessness is a huge issue in the UK and there are many misconceptions surrounding those that are homeless. Homelessness could happen to any one of us, and everyone’s circumstances are different, yet as a society we are very quick to judge.
After the shelter opened, Curo took a seat on the local resident’s focus group, we’ve heard each month of the successes of the shelter. Any issues arising in the shelter or the local area were dealt with accordingly and were few and far between.
We’ve been privileged to meet residents of the shelter and hear their own individual stories. Even we were surprised by the residents staying at the shelter, as they didn’t ‘fit’ the stereotype of a homeless person, which goes to show how misconceptions are made. Listening to them has given us real insight into the huge problem that is homelessness.
St Mungos have done a fantastic job here in St Anne’s, along with Caring in Bristol who have run workshops for volunteers and residents. There has been outreach work at St Anne’s infant school which collected donations and continue to be involved with a gardening sessions.
We are proud to be part of the success of the shelter and we also have become volunteers for St Mungos.
