10:10am Sunday 23rd November 2008
By Tristan Kirk
A YIEWSLEY vicar has called for Hillingdon Council to do more to help homeless people in the borough.
Reverend Richard Young is concerned there is nowhere in Yiewsley for homeless people to go during Christmas and called for a temporary shelter to be arranged to give them somewhere safe and warm to sleep.
He said: “I was concerned because I see quite a lot of rough sleepers in our area, people in a lot of need living in squalor and outside in all weathers.
“I am not aware of anything that happens in the area during Christmas, and I believe there should be something at that particular time of year, there ought to be some provision.”
Revd Young and his parishioners from St Matthew's Church, in High Street, raised a petition asking the council to do more to help homeless people in Yiewsley.
Currently, a temporary shelter opens at the start of January, taking in homeless people giving them food and shelter for eight weeks.
However, the church would like to see that provision extended, an idea councillors are looking at after the petition was presented to them earlier this week.
Revd Young, who started in his job more than a year ago, said he often is asked where in Yiewsley homeless people can go, and he did not know the answer so decided to look into it.
He said: “I get homeless people coming to the door of the vicarage, and it is very difficult to know what provision there is in the area.
“The meeting with councillors was quite positive and they accepted the need to notify local clergy what provision there is nearby.”
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