The Hope Centre is thanking St Helens Council after staff state they have ‘found a forever home’ inside the former Teardrops headquarters.

The St Helens charity that helps homeless and vulnerable people in the community, has just completed a relocation to 110 Crab Street – the second time it has moved since opening in 2004.

Originally based at 103 Church Street, the charity’s new Drop-In Centre replaces its former premises at 41-43 Corporation Street.

Angela Metcalfe, Director, said she wants this to be the final move: “Relocation takes up a lot of time and resources, but we are very happy with the new space we have for our Drop-In Centre.

“The Council team could not have been more helpful during our search to find somewhere to go.

“The weekly meetings offered our small team the benefit of their insight into town centre properties and their intervention made a huge difference. They took the time to listen to us, understand our circumstances and helped us find a practical way forward.”

The move, prompted by the forthcoming demolition of buildings in Corporation Street to make room for the town centre regeneration, comes as the most critical part of the year approaches for The Hope Centre.

“The cold weather months are arriving now and that is when our service comes under the most pressure,” said Julie Hand, who manages Hope House.

“We are a day centre and many of our service users also have other issues such as mental health struggles, addiction, or domestic abuse concerns. It’s heartbreaking in winter – you are going into work not knowing if the rough sleepers you saw the day before will have survived the night.” Hope House has an open-door policy and prides itself on being a non-judgemental space where people can come to feel safe, have a chat and cup of tea, and rebuild their sense of self-worth.

The team is made up of Julie and three staff homeless prevention officers. Volunteers – more of whom are always welcome – help with tasks such as cooking and cleaning.

“The last 12 months have been particularly tough – partly because of the cost-of-living crisis,” added Julie.

“We’ve had about four hundred people use our Drop-In services over the past few years and lots of other interventions in the community.

“We are pleased to be settled now and are focused on what we do best – providing practical support and advocacy.

“We are dedicated to serving those in our community who are most in need through our various projects, courses, and training opportunities, and as we continue to grow, we do everything possible to help as many people as we can.”

Cllr Trisha Long, Cabinet Member for Supporting Neighbourhoods, of St Helens Borough Council, said: “The Hope Centre performs a valuable service, and our team was very pleased to help secure new accommodation for the Drop-In centre.

“Like many towns and cities, St Helens has dedicated hard working people to address significant social challenges such as homelessness and addiction. The collective aim of council staff, probation teams, and the charities operating in the sector is to support vulnerable people and get them into temporary, supported, or permanent accommodation.

“We are extremely grateful for their constructive approach to the relocation discussions, which will directly help facilitate the exciting transformation of St Helens town centre to the benefit of all communities in the borough.”