HOMELESS and vulnerable people have been staying in hotels in York throughout the pandemic.

And volunteers have stepped up their work to keep rough sleepers fed during the crisis.

Charity Kitchen for Everyone York (KEY) usually serves up two meals a week for vulnerable residents - but during the pandemic volunteers have been cooking six times a week for people staying in the hotels or living on the breadline.

Rough sleepers have been housed at the Roomzzz and Staycity aparthotels during the pandemic.

Jools Rebbeck, a team leader at KEY, said the homelessness charities in York have all worked together during the crisis.

She said: “It’s been a great team effort.

“I think a lot of homeless people had anxieties about the virus.

“And it affects them immediately - the first thing was that there was just nobody around and all the food places were shut.

“Quite a few vulnerable people who are in some accommodation were just terrified and not going out - people were made redundant, people got ill.”

“A lot of people are living hand to mouth and cannot plan in advance - we have seen far more of the hidden vulnerable people in the city, who are living on the breadline - working but only just managing.”

She added: “We hope this extended period of being somewhere comfortable and safe will encourage people into life off the streets. We hope there will be a positive upturn for some of our guys.

“We have had great success stories in the past.

“At Easter we have just over 30 people in hotels, which is more than they ever say is the number on the streets in York.

“For a lot of them, suddenly they were safe and housed and have been getting three meals a day. That’s an amazing security blanket and you hope that for at least some of them it will have made a difference.”

The pandemic has put many of the charities in touch with restaurants and chefs who have been helping the vulnerable - and Jools hopes people will stay in touch once the lockdown ends.

KEY is already making plans to restart their drop-in meal sessions after the lockdown - but it is likely to be a takeaway service at first due to social distancing guidelines.

For more information or to donate visit kitchenforeveryoneyork.org.