A soup kitchen which provides weekend breakfasts for Manchester’s rough sleepers has found a new home after being kicked out of their former city centre site.
Lifeshare, which feeds hundreds of rough sleepers, had to leave the Chartered Ragged School, in Angel Meadow, earlier this month.
Volunteers arrived at the building, where it had been based for three decades, only to find that their bacon, bread and milk had been locked in and their soup kitchen evicted.
Trustees of the building said Lifeshare's tenancy had ended a few days earlier, sparking a bitter row over the closure.
After several years of negotiations, building trustees had told the charity to leave so the site could be redeveloped.
Lifeshare agreed to move but requested an extension until its new premises were formally secured. But volunteers then arrived at the site earlier this month to find they could not get in.
Lifeshare has now found a new home at Limelight - a £20million community hub in Old Trafford that combines over 55s extra-care apartments with facilities including a health suite, library and pharmacy.
Trafford Housing Trust, which owns Limelight, has stepped in to offer a new base so the charity can continue to provide a lifeline for homeless people in the city.
The first breakfasts were served at the new site over the weekend.
“We are delighted to have found a new home at Limelight for our Weekend Breakfast Service,” Lifeshare trustee, Robin Toal, said.
“For 30 years we have provided an essential service to people in Manchester experiencing homelessness and poverty and we look forward to continuing the service with our new partners. Limelight’s facilities are fantastic, and we’re excited to explore new opportunities with the team there to provide better services and support to people in our community who need it most.”
Trafford Housing Trust’s Acting CEO, Larry Gold, said he felt compelled to step in to help.
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He said: “Lifeshare is the only charity that gives those sleeping on the streets a hot breakfast at the weekend. Without it, hundreds of homeless people could be going hungry. That’s not acceptable to us.”
Working with Lifeshare is part of Trafford Housing Trust’s commitment to Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s pledge to end street homelessness.
The charity is part of the Combined Authority’s Social Impact Bond, which funds homes and provides support services as well as the A Bed Every Night project for homeless people.
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