HOMELESS and vulnerable people in Chippenham have been given two vital lifelines, as Alabaré Christian Care and Support take over the running of a hostel, and a government grant will fund an outreach support officer to work in the town.

Unity House - Alabaré Supported Housing North, which provides accommodation and emergency beds for rough sleepers and vulnerable adults, had its official opening on Tuesday where members of the public, councillors and other charities including Julian’s House could see what it has to offer for those who need extra support, after Alabare took over in April.

Service manager at Unity House Naomi Webb said: “Both the Unity House staff and residents are pleased to be joining the Alabaré family.

“The hard work and dedication of the staff alongside the warm welcome by Alabaré has led to a smooth transition with limited disruption to those using our services.

“We look forward to going forward with Alabaré, whose values and ethics allow us to put the individual and partnership working into the heart of what we do.”

Unity House on Wood Lane provides support and accommodation for 21 people from the age of 16, and eight short-stay beds for emergency accommodation.

Residents can stay for up to two years as they gain the skills and confidence which will allow them to move onto independent living, and every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday it opens for rough sleepers, giving them access to washing and laundry facilities, and the chance to talk about issues and get extra advice and support.

The government grant is going to fund an outreach worker for the town, who will go out and support vulnerable people living on the streets, helping them gain access to services whether that be a bed for the night, a hot meal, or someone to talk to.

Wiltshire Council successfully secured a £312,000 grant which will go towards funding extra winter night shelter spaces in Devizes and three new outreach workers, including one who will work in Chippenham, a housing adviser and a project coordinator.

The outreach staff will have the skills needed to help people with a wide range of needs including financial problems, mental health conditions as well as drug and alcohol addictions.

Cabinet member for housing, Cllr Richard Clewer, said: “This is excellent news. Rough sleepers are a difficult group to reach out to and the more we can get out on the streets the better, and this extra money will help that.”

Lisa Lewis, who runs the Doorway Project in Chippenham, a drop-in centre for the homeless, sofa surfers and vulnerable people, said: “This is a positive step. It can make a real difference in the lives of the people on the streets.

“Having extra support workers is really important in building up relationships with rough sleepers and building trust.

“At the moment there is only one outreach worker that covers the entire of Wiltshire. It is hard to engage with rough sleepers if you only have one person covering the whole county, so having an allocated outreach worker is good.

“They will go out and find and engage with rough sleepers, building up a level of trust to engage with them as very often, they don’t want to engage or seek help.

“It means that we can leave the emergency stuff to the outreach workers and focus on the complex needs of people.”