With Christmas approaching, the concept of home and family is at the forefront of people's minds. HELEN MEAD visits a special centre - the first of its kind in the UK - where those who have no home can find shelter, friendship and support.

I don't think I'd be here now if it wasn't for them." John Reeves does not hold back as he praises staff at the Bradford charity which he believes saved his life.

"I was in such a bad way, I started to shut down. I could not see any way forward and could not picture any future," he says.

"I do not know whether it was by divine providence or pure luck that I ended up here. What would have happened if I hadn't doesn't bear thinking about."

John had become ill, leading to him losing his job as a chef. He was unable to keep up with the rent on his flat in Holme Wood and, after a court battle, was eventually evicted.

"I found myself on the streets. It was the end of October and I had a dreadful cold. It was such a shock, very scary," recalls the articulate 58-year-old.

A few days later, while at Bradford Central Library, he met a man from London who had arrived in the district in same situation.

"He directed me to a local drop-in centre, and they found me a place here."

He arrived at Lawley House, a large brick building on Leeds Road, with little more than he stood up in.

Run by The Salvation Army, the premises house a residential centre for single, homeless men. Warm and welcoming, it has a dedicated team of staff who help those who come to them in need to pick up the threads of a normal life.

With 51 beds where men live on a half-board basis, plus a 12-bed resettlement unit offering self-catering to encourage residents to develop life and social skills, the centre is much more than a port in a storm.

"It is more than just a roof over someone's head. We address people's needs and give support so that when they move on, hopefully, they can cope," says centre manager Major Michael Loveridge who, along with his wife Carole, also serves as minister at the on-site Worship Centre.

The building is unique, the first of its kind in the UK, as it covers four Salvation Army schemes on one site: the residential centre, resettlement unit, worship hall and a thriving community centre with activities for local people as well as drop-ins and day surgeries for the homeless. It is also the largest provider of hostel places for single, homeless men in the Bradford district.

Major Loveridge cites the example of a former resident who is now a serving councillor in Yorkshire. "He came back recently and thanked us for what we had done for him."

Not all residents, who are aged from 18 to 59, with the majority being under 35, find post-hostel life works out well. "Some come back, which can be frustrating, especially when they seemed to be on their way to sorting themselves out," adds Major Loveridge Men arrive having come not only from Bradford, but from all areas of the UK. There are a multitude of reasons as to why they have ended up on the streets. Relationship breakdowns, alcohol and drug problems are each responsible in roughly a third of cases.

Staff have noted a rise in the number of people with mental health problems. "When I first came we had the odd one, but the number has grown and now this affects around ten per cent of residents," says Major Loveridge.

Checks are made with other agencies to ensure that no-one with certain convictions, including arson, paedophilia and other sexual offences, is admitted.

Through guidance and support - physical, emotional and spiritual - both by staff at the centre and outside agencies, they are helped to tackle their problems and learn skills which could, in time, lead to them finding a job and a home of their own.

Those living in the resettlement centre, where a group of men share a self-catering unit, can quickly develop skills like budgeting and cooking.

Often, people's expectations of the centre are found to be wide of the mark. "When people first arrive they have assumptions of what hostel life is like, but they soon say it is completely different to how they imagined. It is not the best environment, but it is not the worst either," says Major Loveridge.

Senior project worker Pauline Buckingham stresses how valuable the centre is to homeless men in Bradford. "People have a chance to pick themselves up. We have had people who have been successful throughout their lives but for some reason or another, things have gone pear-shaped. It is very rewarding to see them "

Christmas, she says, is a difficult time for some of the residents, who have families and children. "It is very hard. Some choose to stay away, some have contact. Sometimes we make up parcels for them to give to their children."

One resident, a 39-year-old plasterer, left his family home four years ago. He began a new relationship but when that broke down he ended up homeless. "I'm hoping to get things straight in my head and sort myself out. I'd like to move away from Bradford to start again."

Another man came to Bradford to be close to relatives after problems at his home in Kent. "I've never been in this situation before, says the 35-year-old former chef. "I lived with my partner and one day came home to find she was burning my belongings in the garden. I tried to reach some of them and ended up in hospital. I had nowhere to go so came back to be near my brother. I stayed with him for a short while but there wasn't room. I was lucky to get a place here. I'm in the resettlement unit and it is good to have a base."

It comes as no surprise to hear that, most of the time, the centre is full. "Unfortunately we do have to turn people away, but we direct them to other agencies such as the Day Shelter in Edmund Street," says Major Loveridge.

For John Reeves, after two months in the centre, there is a happy ending. Next week he starts a job as a live-in chef in a hotel in Lancashire.

"I could not have been given a better Christmas present. I have nothing but praise for the centre. If it had not been for them, I would have been dead."

  • John Reeves is not his real name.