BY Harriet SherwoodReligion correspondent

A night shelter for rough sleepers in Leicester will rotate between Anglican and Catholic churches, a Muslim community centre, a synagogue and a Hindu temple over the next 11 weeks in the first multifaith venture of its kind in the UK.

The shelter, which provides overnight bed, board and support for 10 homeless men, opened on Monday. Seven faiths or denominations are involved, with Quakers and Sikhs providing support and meals at different religious venues. More than 200 people from different faith communities and of no faith have volunteered to support the project.

It is managed by One Roof, a Leicester organisation which focuses on homelessness, and funded by the Muslim charity Human Appeal, the Church of England’s Near Neighbours programme and the Christian charity Housing Justice, as well as donations.

“For most of the faith venues, this is the first time they’ve provided night shelter for rough sleepers,” said Salma Ravat, the project’s manager. The venues are made available from 6pm until 9am, with volunteers setting up beds, serving meals and socialising with the men. “We refer to them as ‘guests’ because we’re trying to create a warm, welcoming environment, in which people are treated with respect,” said Ravat.

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