Shrewsbury Ark homeless charity closes premises temporarily over building concerns
The charity which provides help and support to Shrewsbury's homeless is closing its base to clients for several weeks due to safety concerns about the building.
The Shrewsbury Ark has said that while it is not able welcome people to its Castle Foregate premises, it will be running an enhanced outreach service, to ensure it can continue to help people on the street.
The decision to close the premises temporarily comes after concerns were raised to Shropshire Council about the safety of the building.
Management at the charity have stressed that the service is "more than a physical building and location", and said its outreach team will continue to go out into the community to engage with rough sleepers and other vulnerable people to ensure they have access to the support they need.
“This will include ensuring those sleeping rough have food and drink, have access to post, and most importantly still have people to talk to for support,” said David Doonan, Ark Manager.
“Our volunteers will also continue to support our clients in other ways such as attending doctor and other appointments with them. We will also be providing clothing and other items such as rucksacks and sleeping bags where needed."
The Ark’s chair, Karen Higgins said the decision to close was a difficult one but the safety of the charity’s clients, volunteers and staff had to be the number one priority.
Inspected
She said: "We have a duty of care for all those who use the building. After concerns were raised to the council, the trustees made the difficult decision to temporarily close the Ark for day-centre services as of Monday, April 29, until the building could be inspected by a structural engineer.
“Since then some other safety issues have been brought to our attention and these need addressing."
It is anticipated the work will take a few weeks to complete.
During that period, while the building is closed to clients, Ark staff and volunteers will have access to the building and will continue working with other agencies to ensure clients can still be supported.
The charity said the situation highlighted the need for a new base for the organisation.
Ms Higgins: “These latest developments add a note of urgency to our plans to a move to more suitable premises in the near future."
For further information about The Ark’s Services visit shrewsburyark.co.uk
