Homeless people in Leeds queue up at the volunteer-run food stalls in City Square.
By Charlie Mcnalus
PEOPLE from Leeds have been volunteering to help run food stalls in the city centre where the homeless can receive a hot meal.
About 20 volunteers meet in City Square and set up portable gas hobs to cook food.
Members of the public have been donating items for the homeless people, such as coats, jeans, shoes, hats and scarves.
A sausage and egg breakfast sandwich that is given out at the morning feeds by the volunteers.
Volunteer Allison Holland goes to the donor’s homes to pick up items.
She said: “I sort them out either at the unit that we have or at my house, because it makes it easier to distribute to the homeless rather than having a massive pile.”
David Hedley is the man who started it all off and is now running the stalls.
Cakes, cookies and bun donations.
He also ran a “tent city” last year where volunteers set up lots of tents for the homeless to camp down in when they needed shelter.
The volunteers get together every Tuesday and Saturday mornings to serve breakfasts, and Thursday evening for hot meals.
Mr Hedley said: “Tesco regularly donate through the Roundhay store, Morrison’s also donate so do Gregg’s. The armed forces also along with BFBS radio station are also supportive.”
National statistics on homelessness
- Local authorities accepted 14,930 households as being statutorily homeless between 1 July and 30 September 2016, down 1% on the previous quarter and up 2% on the same quarter of last year.
- The total number of households in temporary accommodation on 30 September 2016 was 74,630, up 9% on a year earlier, and up 55% on the low of 48,010 on 31 December 2010.
- The number of households in nightly paid self-contained annexes was 18,420. This represents 25% of all households in temporary accommodation, up from 23% a year previously and 9% five years ago.
- Of the 74,630 households in temporary accommodation on 30 September 2016, 59,210 included dependent children and/or a pregnant woman.
- In England, 62% of those leaving temporary accommodation between 1 July and 30 September 2016 did so less than 6 months after acceptance, and 77% less than a year after acceptance.
For more governmental statistics click here.