Room for compassion
The Prince Rupert Hotel For The Homeless Christina Lamb
William Collins, £20
One of the great success stories of the pandemic was the ‘Everyone In’ initiative. This was the idea of using Britain’s suddenly empty hotels to house the homeless during the first lockdown.
In slowing the spread of Covid, this scheme saved innumerable lives. Most of the hotels used were budget, but this book by journalist Christina Lamb focuses on a grander establishment – the four-star Prince Rupert Hotel in Shrewsbury.
Unlike many other hoteliers, its owner Mike Matthews didn’t go back on his promise to help, even when it emerged that he’d be better off financially if he closed the place and accepted a government furlough grant.
So the Prince Rupert opened its doors to dozens of homeless people, including many ex-convicts. One boasted the title of Shrewsbury’s most prolific shoplifter but turned out to be, by common consent, the politest of the new residents.
It started badly when the hotel chef refused to demean himself by cooking for the homeless and left, followed by several other staff.
Those who remained found themselves taking classes on dealing with a heroin overdose rather than the usual hospitality training.
The Grade II-listed building saw more chaos than in its previous eight centuries put together, as the new guests tried to deal drugs or smuggle in exotic pets such as snakes. But the warmth and patience shown by staff, as they helped people who had often not slept indoors for decades adjust to the abrupt change in their circumstances, are inspirational.
Lamb has interviewed many of the guests and fills us in on their often harrowing backgrounds, as well as what happened to them once lockdown ended.
Not all their stories have happy endings but many have embarked on a better path in life simply through being given some dignity and attention for once.
This moving and often very funny book suggests we could take a more imaginative general approach to helping the homeless – without waiting for another pandemic to galvanise us.