By Harry Mottram: The MP for Bath Wera Hobhouse recently paid a visit to local charity Julian House, which works as a lifeline tackling homelessness across the South West. Julian House has been delivering an off-the-streets accommodation service on Manvers Street for people sleeping rough in Bath for close to 40 years.
In the last year alone it has provided 96,816 beds across all its services, supported 371 individuals who were sleeping rough to move on to more stable, secure accommodation, and supported 2,740 vulnerable people to begin their journey to independence and security.
The hostel itself has been at 115% capacity for the past year, with a waiting list. All 20 pods are full, with all available space given over to sleeping areas, even resorting to setting up ‘sit-up’ beds in the communal area, in order to meet demand.
During her visit, the Bath MP heard how their lease on the basement of Manvers Street Baptist Church will end in August 2026 and they are now in a race against time to find a suitable replacement to ensure continuity of their vital service.
Mrs Hobhouse says this new funding from the Government is welcome, but given the scale of the crisis in the South West, it is simply not enough.
In 2024 1,611 homeless people died in the UK – a 9% rise from 2023.
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