Homeless charity in Shrewsbury forced to cut back services despite demand doubling

A charity helping homeless people in Shrewsbury is having to "triage" vital services as it tackles rising energy bills amidst the cost of living crisis.

Homeless charities are warning that there's a higher risk now than ever before, of people sleeping rough for the first time, as households struggle to make ends meet due to the cost of living crisis.

It also threatens the stability of those charities who work to help the homeless, leaving many in desperate need of more funding while dealing with unprecedented demand.

The Shrewsbury Ark, a charity which helps homeless people, moved into a new building five times bigger earlier this year as demand for its services more than doubled.

But the charity says the move has proved to be a double-edged sword - as it didn't bank on inflation rising to this level - meaning higher energy bills and food costs - so it's now having to cut back its services.

Before the pandemic, the charity was supporting 16 to 18 people daily - it now supports over 50 people every day.

It says difficult decisions will need to be made in the next few weeks as it carefully considers which services are most vital.

Jasmine Basran from charity Crisis told ITV News Central it's working with local organisations which provide frontline services to support those who need it:

Information on where to get support and advice is available here: