Lifehouse for homeless young people welcomes special guest

MP visits hostel for homeless young people in Accrington

Staff at a hostel in Accrington hosted special guest, Sara Britcliffe MP, to share news of its services and the support it gives to homeless young people across Lancashire.

The Salvation Army welcomed the Conservative MP for Hyndburn, Sara Britcliffe, into its Lifehouse (hostel) where it provides a home and support services for up to eleven young people who are homeless.

Crossroads, located on Empress Street, Accrington, is a hostel for both male and female young people aged 16 – 21 offering tailor-made support to prepare residents for independent living.

Ms Britcliffe met with the manager of Crossroads, Samantha Harrison, who spoke about the work the Lifehouse does to support young people in order to change perceptions of young people and homelessness within the area. Samantha also spoke about the new drop-in service for refugees and asylum seekers that The Salvation Army currently operates on a Tuesday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Samantha Harrison said: “We wanted to raise awareness of our service and show Ms Britcliffe the positive work that we do to support the vulnerable young people who live with us. It was important for us to show off our facilities and the home that we create for our residents; we are essentially their family, and we want to show that we provide more than just a place to stay. We create a home, a place for our residents to feel safe and we are determined to make a difference to their lives.

“There is not much provision in Accrington for homeless young people but there is high demand and so we’re proud that we offer such a vital service and were pleased that Ms Britcliffe was very supportive of the work we do and the challenges that we face with the rise in homelessness.”

Residents at Crossroads are referred from Lancashire County Council and assigned a support worker on the first day with the aim to move onto independent living within two years of arriving at the Lifehouse.

Ms Britcliffe said: “It was great to see what a caring and life changing service we have on our doorstep for vulnerable young people in Accrington.

“Young people can fall on hard times through no fault of their own, and it is vital we support them back into independent living. The Salvation Army team do great work and are really passionate about what they do.”

Crossroads features five bedrooms with communal living as well as six self-contained flats where residents are supported by The Salvation Army to develop their independence in a variety of ways such as living independently, building into the community and cooking on a budget.