'Sleeping pod in our church grounds offers hope to the homeless'

A "sleeping pod" installed in the grounds of a Bradford church is providing homeless people with a safe place to spend the night.

The cabin, which measures 2.4m by 1.8m (8ft by 6ft), has a bed, toilet and electrical supply for guests who are carefully vetted by the charities Shine West Bowling and Hope Housing.

It is located at St Stephen's Church in West Bowling, which also offers hot meals to rough sleepers.

Sarah Hinton from Shine says that 20 people have stayed in the hut in the past four years, and most have been successfully placed in permanent accommodation.

Mrs Hinton says: "It's in a beautiful space, so although it's in the inner city people feel very safe here."

The £7,000 pod was paid for by another church and installed in 2021. It has just reopened after a refurbishment.

Those allowed to use it are chosen and supported throughout their stay and after they move on.

Mrs Hinton adds: "They can come into the church every day.

"They can have breakfast, they can have lunch, they can have a shower, things like that.

"So we can offer basic levels of amenities, which is really lovely."

She stresses that the pod is "very much short-term" for each user.

"It's a sort of one-up from a tent. It definitely feels safer than being in a tent, but it is temporary."

The solar-powered pod has a coded lock to prevent illicit entry.

Michelle, who is 42 and from Bradford, began sleeping in the cabin earlier this week.

She says: "I'm covered, I'm warm, I've got my own door that I can close.

"Everything you've got in here, it's so much better than being out on the street on a bench.

"Whatever goes on out there can go on out there. But I know that I'm safe in here. And I'm in God's ground."

The mother-of-four has had issues with addiction to both heroin and crack cocaine since she was 16.

"They've put me in two hostels before, but it was full of drugs.

"Now I've been clean off drugs, nearly four years off heroin and 15 month off crack cocaine. So I couldn't be around all that."

She went to live with her mother in her cramped flat but then called Hope Housing, who suggested the pod.

"I hope I can get into a house from this. Then my kids can come and see me.

"I've got a grandson as well. Obviously I can't bring any of them here, but once I get my own place. This is what they're doing for me, and it's amazing."

Emma Gabriel is a housing support manager for Hope Housing, which is a Christian charity working with homeless people in the city.

She says: "It is about, 'is this person the right person to be in the pod? Are they low key with less anti-social behaviour going on?'

"We're happy with Michelle being here because she is a low-key person, she is trying to get over her addiction.

"And we know she's not going to cause any problems for the community or the church."

The service users are given 18 months of support once they are in their own housing.

Ms Gabriel adds: "It's more or less to get people back on their feet, who are struggling and who have come out of addiction for alcohol or drugs."

She says she would love five more pods to be donated to the city, but installation would depend on funding.

"It would help in terms of street homelessness, and just getting people off the streets, especially during the winter months. That's the most critical time."

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