Homeless Street Angels: Leeds charity for vulnerable families officially opens new hub with 'emotional' ceremony
A Leeds-based charity for the homeless and vulnerable families has officially opened its new centre - marking a milestone it has been working towards since its inception.
The Homeless Street Angels officially opened their new premises at Sheepscar Court at the bottom of Meanwood Road last month with a ceremony attended by the city’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung.
The charity was founded in 2016 by twin sisters Becky and Shelley Joyce to help the homeless in memory of their sister Abi, who died aged 39. For years they have had the goal of opening Abi House - named after their sister - to best provide support for those in need.
The services offered expanded during Covid to provide a foodbank and other facilities for vulnerable families in the city and now their new hub is set to expand their outreach and offerings even further.
Speaking to the YEP, Shelley said that the opening day was “amazing” and that it made all of the hard work over the previous two months to get it ready worth it.
She said: “We worked every hour God sent to get it ready. We had the whole community working and had it ready the night before.”
She added: “When we had the keys everything was wrong with it but we knew we loved it and it was fit for what we needed.”
Help was offered from across the city, with the kitchen, carpets, signage, decorations and electrics provided free of charge by various businesses and contributors. Service users also turned up in force to help with getting the site ready and fit for purpose.
Shelley said: “Every night we were going home with bruises and blisters. It’s been nonstop.”
The ribbon to officially open the new site was cut by the Lord Mayor as well as the children of Abi, which Shelley said was “really emotional”.
The site is now home to the charity’s foodbank and also features a reception area, furniture store, art room and a kitchen.
Shelley explained that the centre will hold teaching classes for cooking, knitting, art and music for vulnerable families and the homeless.
She added: “Christmas is our biggest time of year so we wanted it to open before then.
“It’s been very emotional but this support centre will open up what we can do and expand our services.