THE One Love Soup Kitchen is using a building site to prepare meals and provide clothing to the homeless in Southend with the help of a developer.

Hollybrooks has had showers, washing machines and tumble dryers installed in storage containers for the homeless attendees of the soup kitchen at its development site in Carnarvon Road, Southend. They also pay staff and security to be on site to help during the soup kitchen hours.

The kitchen runs every Monday at 7pm in Clarence Road car park, Southend and every Thursday from 5.30pm at Carnarvon Road.

While working at the Hollybrook site in Southend Jason Speller, 47, from Canvey suggested to his manager about opening the site to rough sleepers.

Mr Speller said: “As I left I cheekily said it would be great to have a shower and the next day my foreman said I think he’s going to get you a shower.

“The following Wednesday we all met and they had already bought a washing machine, tumble dryer and two shower units, which was amazing.

“It’s somewhere for the homeless to come, have a sit down meal and feel human again.”

There are many volunteers at the site each week, including, Southend’s Salvo the Clown, Rochford councillors, Laureen Shaw and Phil Shaw, local artist, Sharon Vane and Harp ambassador, Jay Nice.

Some of the volunteers are also trained counsellors who offer their services.

The kitchen’s “unsung hero” Julie Merrin has been feeding street sleepers in Southend high street most days and nights for many years. She attends hospital appointments with the homeless and even takes some of their washing home.

Co-founder Zoey Smith, 33 said: “She is very well respected by the homeless and the community. We’ve had great support from local businesses, Bustles boutique in Southend donated underwear and collected sanitary donations for the ladies. The Corner House cafe donates money and jacket potatoes and Gallacher’s in Leigh donate to us when possible.

“We are always looking for support from local business. We also need people who can cook for us fortnightly or monthly.”

The organisation seems to be growing by the day, creating long-term benefits for many of the visitors.

One of the volunteers, Southend Job Centre work coach, Debbie Ballard said: “Some of homeless claim benefits and they just need to catch a break so I’ve been signing some of them up to the two-week construction skills certification scheme which will qualify them to work on a building site.”

Volunteers take any leftover food and night packs to the rough sleepers in the High Street who can’t make it down to the site.

One of the homeless visitors, Michael Miller, 30 said: “This is definitely the best one. They have showers and the meals are better. It’s a more relaxed environment and they’ve even got security.

“It’s contained, you can charge your phone and it’s a lot better equipped than any of the others. They’ve sorted us out with tents, sleeping bags and whatever you need. We’ve got a camping stove for when we’re not here and these guys get us the gas bottles we need.”