A session at the Vibast Centre
A NEW solidarity drop-in centre staffed by a collaboration of homeless volunteers has opened, aiming to offer support and advice to rough sleepers.
Volunteers from the Museum of Homelessness, Streets Kitchen, Disability Action in Islington, Tricky Period and the council all gathered at the Vibast Centre in Old Street for its first official day earlier this month.
Streets Kitchens founder Jon Glackin said: “Sometimes rough sleepers feel excluded from centres. But here, with all these amazing volunteers and groups working together, we can get them any support services they want or need. It’s the joint partnership work that makes a difference, you just don’t see enough of it.
“People really want to help, but they just don’t know how to. We want people’s time, not their money. If people give their time and expertise in lots of different areas then it can make a difference.”
With access to the Vibast’s facilities every Tuesday, the group hope to start offering counselling, showers, courses and even yoga lessons, all run by volunteers, as well as the usual hot tea.
Human rights charity Liberty have visited to speak to rough sleepers about their basic rights.
Volunteer Daniella Delmonte said: “A lot of the rough sleepers speak about feeling like a statistic. That’s the current climate. There’s a feeling of not being heard.”
