BOSSES at a service helping the town's vulnerable have outlined their vision for the future to an MP.

Maria Miller visited the Camrose Centre, at Glebe Hall, St Michael’s Church as the service marks a decade of work.

The MP was shown around the centre by Clare Farrow, Camrose manager, and Mike Browning, managing trustee, and was able to hear about the work of the centre and the numbers of vulnerable people using the service:

Since April 2018, the centre has entertained 204 clients, of whom 111 claimed to have slept rough and a further 85 are homeless but in some form of temporary accommodation.

All of these figures have increased by about 10 per cent over a comparable period in 2017.

Basingstoke's MP also heard of the centre’s ambition for the creation of a permanent ‘hub’ for socially excluded people in Basingstoke where they could access a range of services like social and private housing, health and wellbeing, Citizens’ Advice Bureau, Foodbank, homelessness prevention and outreach workers.

Mrs Miller said: “The Camrose Centre continues to provide an important service for people in Basingstoke who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, or are otherwise vulnerably housed – and helps many of them to get back onto their feet.

"I talked to some of the people who had dropped in for a hot meal and other support, and it was clear that they see this as a vital source of help and information.

“I would also pay tribute to the wonderful staff and volunteers who keep the service running, and to the many individuals, businesses, charities and churches in the town who generously donate food and other items to the centre, without which it would not be possible to provide the service that is clearly so highly valued.”