01 Feb 2010
Church on the Bus meets a need
An innovative church-run scheme to meet some of the needs of the homeless in Derbyshire has been a huge success. The Church on the Bus initiative, led by Matlock Methodist and United Reformed Church, offers the ‘hidden homeless’ of Matlock food, clothes, advice and the chance of a shower every Tuesday evening.
The initiative is a result of local Christians in the area seeing an opportunity to help - and then doing something about it. The Revd Lyn Houghton, minister of the Matlock Methodist and URC, says she has been surprised by both the level of need in Matlock and by the willingness of church members to give their time and money to the scheme.
She says, “Support has been amazing, we have a rota of more than 20 local volunteers, all fully committed to this project. The Church on the Bus is our way of doing what we can to help the local homeless people. We aim to give practical support and help keep them on the right road. Often all they need is information, a leg-up – not a handout.”
Local businesses also support the scheme, with Sainsbury’s, Costa Coffee and the local patisserie, Birds, regularly donating food.
The bus is hired from the Church Army in Chesterfield, and is in use for similar schemes seven nights a week, at locations across the region.
