THE Bradford Police were so keen on the scheme that they handed over £500 retrieved from the proceeds of crime (above) to help take beds and equipment from church to church, as seven churches — four of them Anglican — provided a place for the homeless to sleep throughout last month.
Each church opened its doors in turn, one night a week, to provide beds, hot dinners, and breakfast. Funding came from the Church Urban Fund, and all those booking in had to be referred from agencies such as the Red Cross or the Bradford Day Shelter. The police specified that they should not be on bail, or drunk, and should not bring drink or drugs on to the premises.
The Inn Churches Shelter Project was the idea of Canon Sam Randall, on the staff of the diocese, and 95 volunteers from 25 churches across the Bradford area took part. “The project has gone better than I could have dared to hope,” Canon Randall says. “We provided over 130 beds, and saw about 36 different people come through the doors. The police were hugely supportive, bringing people in themselves.”
The way the volunteers from different churches worked together was real and effective ecumenism, he says.
“Several of the homeless, completely of their own volition, started going to church, a couple even making a Christian commitment. People’s lives have really been changed through this: it’s had a huge impact on both the volunteers and the homeless people.”