Operator and cost of city homeless winter shelter.

The operator of the newly reopened winter homeless shelter in Hereford for the next six months has been confirmed.

Herefordshire Council said that, “following a full open tender process”, it had awarded a contract to Cheltenham-based Caring for Communities and People (CCP), “for the general management and staffing of the winter provision emergency accommodation for individuals experiencing rough sleeping”.

The contract is worth £90,000, which is funded by the Government.

CCP has run the shelter, in Symonds Street east of the city centre, since it first opened in 2023. It operates nightly between 8pm and 8am.

The dates of the new contract are November 2 to April 29 – though with an option to extend it for up to a further three years at the same rate, “subject to the availability of [Government] funding, evidenced demand and satisfactory provider performance”.

“There will be access to interpreting and translation services for individuals whose first language is not English” at the shelter, the council’s notice says.

This adds that it received two other bids for the contract, but one was “deemed non-compliant”.

The council had also rejected the idea of using the Government funding to provide “on-street winter survival packs”, as to do so “could lead to negative outcomes for individuals experiencing rough sleeping”.

It has an obligation to assist those at risk of rough sleeping under the Homelessness Reduction Act.