By Neil Sayer, Archdiocesan Archivist

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A temporary emergency shelter for homeless men was opened in the Lutyens Crypt in December 1971. This charitable impulse backfired a little on the Cathedral authorities.

 

Over Christmas and into the New Year, around 30 men were accommodated and fed, the shelter being staffed mostly by student volunteers from the University. Despite a week’s extension on the original schedule, when the time came to leave some of the Crypt’s new residents didn’t want to go. They were eventually persuaded to vacate the premises when told that something better was being planned. Quite a mess was left behind, so there was much clearing-up to be done before the Monday night bingo sessions could recommence in the hall.

 

The Welfare State of the immediate post-war years did not address all the needs of society. Homelessness had been increasing during the 1960s, partly because the lodging houses usually found in the centre of a city were increasingly deemed as substandard accommodation and were being demolished. A report to Liverpool City Council in 1970 drew local attention to the plight of homeless men. It characterised them as “social outcasts”, noting a complex combination of factors that led to their homelessness: “poor mental health, economic hardship, social maladjustment and poor physical health or disability.”

 

As early as 1968 – a year after the Metropolitan Cathedral opened – the Simon Community made overtures to the Cathedral authorities about hosting a shelter in the Cathedral premises. A Cathedral Crypt Shelter Committee was formed, and in November 1971, Archbishop Beck asked Fr Michael Moran of St Oswald’s, Old Swan, to look into the problem of the shortage of accommodation for homeless men and see how the Church could offer assistance.

 

Following the temporary use of the Lutyens Crypt, the promise to the homeless men was kept and part of the space under the podium of the Cathedral was converted for use as a shelter. The shelter was designed by the Cathedral architect, Sir Frederick Gibberd, who heartily approved of the project. In addition to cubicle and dormitory sleeping accommodation for 21 men, a small kitchen and recreation area were provided, with toilets, showers and washrooms, and an office area for staff and volunteers. When the shelter opened in September 1973, two paid staff from Petrus (which the Simon Community had become in that year) looked after its needs: they were Ray Bennett and Dave Matthews. Nuns from the Lourdes Hospital helped out on the first night, and other religious orders subsequently gave generously of their time.

 

One of our Auxiliary Bishops, Augustine Harris, reported on the establishment of the Crypt Night Shelter in 1973, explaining it as “a night shelter for those in immediate need of supportive care, who are, at least for the time being, unable to use alternative accommodation.” It was not intended to provide a long-term home for its occupants, and aimed at identifying lasting support “to help those who want to improve and are prepared to make some effort.” The occupants of the shelter “will be shown a kindness which may not have been offered by a busy community which sometimes tries to forget the ‘third world’ on its own doorstep.”

 

About 30 men each night made use of the facilities. They had a variety of reasons for being homeless, including marital disputes, disagreements with parents, discharge from prison or hospital, and eviction. The shelter was full most nights, and the workers had to turn men away with great reluctance. The Petrus Community liaised with the City Council’s Housing Department and independent housing associations to find flats for as many as sought to be rehoused. Links were established with other agencies to help the men overcome problems, alcoholism in particular. Primary medical facilities were generally available, weekly surgeries and medical attention being freely given by members of the Christian Medical Fellowship. The respect and consideration shown to residents differed from the authoritarian regime often adopted elsewhere.

 

The guiding light behind the shelter was John Jennings, who was born into a Catholic family in Knotty Ash. He gave up his job to work with homeless people and ultimately became Director of Petrus. He was well aware of some contradictions in such work: “Clearly the Crypt and other night shelters, whilst invaluable in the absence of anything else, were no long-term answer to the problems of the homeless, and despite our best efforts, often became a trap in themselves for the most vulnerable or disadvantaged users.”

 

By the early 1980s, with changes in legislation and social provision for homelessness, local housing authorities had a statutory duty to address the problem. The difficult decision was taken to close the Crypt shelter, and on 31 May 1985 its doors closed for the last time. Over the 12 years of its existence 12,000 guests had been welcomed. All the longer-term residents had been rehoused, and the Petrus Community took pride in having “performed a vital role when needed.”

 

It’s now 40 years since the shelter for homeless men under the Cathedral was closed. John Jennings wrote then that “There will always be a minority of men who will need more than just accommodation. They will need support and care.” His final verdict on the project? “A job well done”, though when he said that it was in the expectation “of a better service being established.” He died in 2023.