The future of the Leamington Winter Support (LWS) Night Shelter is looking more secure with the news that the Council will be assisting the voluntary organisation in their quest to find a new home.

Details of the plans, which were outlined to Councillors at the last Council meeting by the Portfolio Holder for Housing Services, Councillor Peter Phillips, would involve the Council making a planning application for a change of use for the council-owned former Italian Club in Packington Place, so that it could become a facility to accommodate homeless people. If the application is successful, the Council has also made a pledge to make a significant contribution towards the conversion and refurbishment costs, to ensure that building would meet the standards required by LWS for its future service.  

Leamington Winter Support (LWS), which was set up by two students from the University of Warwick in 2016 to provide food, shelter and company for the homeless on Friday and Saturday nights is currently based at the Priors Club, however uncertainty over the voluntary organisation’s future use of the Tower Street property, had left them with the irony of potentially becoming homeless themselves. The Council hopes that the realisation of the plans will help secure the future for LWS and the facilities it offers for the long term.

Councillor Phillips commented;

“I’m very much looking forward to working with LWS on this venture and being able to offer practical support to them to continue with the amazing job they do in helping the most vulnerable people in our community. I was pleased to inform my fellow Councillors that funding provision is available to allow the Council owned, former Italian Club building to be used for homeless people subject to planning approval.”

Susan Rutherford & Jazz Singh, Directors of the LWS Night Shelter added;

“We are thrilled to have the support of Warwick District Council in making the old Italian Club the premises for our Night Shelter. Homelessness is a major issue in Leamington Spa, which is very much felt by the local community, and we are extremely pleased to be working together with WDC to tackle this issue. We thank them enormously for their generous financial contribution”.