Hub changes the lives of Littlehampton’s homeless

As the year draws to a close, the Restore Arun hub, based in Harwood Road, has reflected on its first few months in the town.

A report released this month has shown all the good the hub has been doing since it launched in September.

In just three months, it has helped 30 needy people in the town to begin to turn their lives around by either getting them off the street or helping them to win their battle against addiction.

Praising the scheme, West Sussex county councillor for Littlehampton town, Ian Buckland, said: “I fought hellfire to bring them into the town and I’m really happy to hear it is doing so well.”

The centre, which was jointly funded by the Safer Arun Partnership, Sussex Police, the Roddick Foundation and the West Sussex Social Enterprise, is being run by homeless charity, Stonepillow, as a 12-month pilot project.

Sylvie Johnston is the cause’s chief executive and was very pleased by the overall results.

However, she felt that there was a lot more the charity could do, particularly as Christmas inches ever closer.

She said: “Stonepillow is very pleased that our services in Harwood are already making a difference to many homeless and vulnerable people in Littlehampton.

“Christmas is a particularly miserable time of the year for people who are on the margin of society, struggling with rough sleeping and isolation.

“Stonepillow brings safety and hope but we can’t do this work alone and we absolutely need and rely on Littlehampton community to support us and to get involved.”

For the full story, see today’s Littlehampton Gazette (Thursday, December 18).