Littlehampton welcomes new hub for the homeless

Restore Arun, based in Harwood Road, officially opened its doors to the public on Friday (September 19).

The centre, which is jointly funded by 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.

The facility will not only provide shelter and a hot meal for those sleeping rough or vulnerably housed – such as ‘sofa surfers’ – but will also offer opportunities to engage in work and gain skills through the Littlehampton Restore Project.

Arun’s police district commander, Chief Inspector Pip Taylor, has touted the innovative project as the ‘missing link’ in the force’s efforts to combat anti-social behaviour in Littlehampton’s town centre.

She said: “For us, this is the missing piece of the jigsaw.

“We do a lot of intervention with homeless people. But we need that specialist group of people that can help us in turning these people’s lives around.

“This is exactly that. We need to show the community of Littlehampton that they are really important to us and this is a great way of helping to do this.”

Inside, the hub is split into three different areas, a central community area, with soft furniture where homeless people can relax; a community section which has washing and cooking facilities and then Stonepillow’s social enterprise project, Restore.

This area is where clients are given proper training in recycling and selling discounted, donated furniture.

Richard Wilding, restore manager, said: “This really gives our clients a lot of confidence as well as some invaluable skills to use in the work place.”

Other facilities provided include computers for people to search and apply for jobs, as well as a team from Stonepillow who will offer valuable advice and support in tackling a range of physical and mental health problems.

Mr Wilding said the centre would also provide tailored workshops on everything from how to budget effectively to combating addiction.

“This is a formula that has worked with us for 20 to 25 years,” he explained. “It’s a project that had been really successful in Chichester.

“But to replicate that success here will take time. I would love to say it’s going to be a quick fix for Littlehampton’s issues, but it’s not. There are a lot of people in our community who are entrenched in their ways that we need to work with.

“It will take time to build their trust. But I’m really excited about the potential of this project.”

The hub is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, from 9am to 5pm.

For more details, call 01243 537934.