Joy at funding for Ludlow homeless centre

Shropshire Council bosses rubber-stamped continued funding for The Foyer in Ludlow, after widespread concerns that cuts may threaten what is the only such scheme in south Shropshire.

The move followed a 1,300 signature petition presented to a full meeting of Shropshire Council last week, and a "sleep out" on the streets of Ludlow at the start of the month, as supporters warned that without the funding the home for young people aged 16 to 25, run by Shropshire Housing Group, would have to close.

Today those supporters welcomed the "extremely good news".

Peter Norman, of the Ludlow Campaign for Fairness, who organised the sleep out said the action had an effect in raising awareness of the centre's plight, as well as housing issues nationally.

He said together with the delaying of a Government-proposed cap on local housing allowance that young residents rely on, the pressure was off The Foyer.

He said: "This buys us time, though for how long one can't say, certainly for one financial year, maybe two but the longer term remains more difficult.

"But this is extremely good news in that it gives a breathing space in which time alternative funding models can be looked into."

He said it was impossible to be sure how much the rethink on funding was down to the campaigning but, he said: "You would have felt bad you hadn't campaigned and the decision had gone the wrong way.

"And it certainly has raised the profile of The Foyer very significantly among the population so that people appreciate it more and the difference it makes to young people trying to reach adulthood despite significant challenges."

Sandy Robertson, chairman of the Ludlow Campaign for Fairness and one of the 25 people who slept rough in Ludlow on September 1, said: "We focused on this because it is a local issue we could take action on, and we have done that."

"I do certainly think it has been of value to campaign particularly on local issues but there is an over-arching crisis and scandal on housing need in general, I think."

Councillor Paul Draper, mayor of Ludlow, also welcomed the news, having made The Foyer his mayor's charity for the year after discovering the threat it faced.

He said: "It's just wonderful news that it's going to continue to be supported. It's a great organisation in terms of what it can do for young people, giving them a leg up in life.

"There is a lot of feeling in Ludlow that it should have continued support."

The Foyer provides shelter for young people and also helps in getting them back into education or employment.