Woking-based homeless charity York Road Project has secured the future of its flagship centre, 1 York Road.

Cherisse Dealtry, chief executive of the charity, which has been celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, said: “We can confirm that the legal processes have been completed and York Road Project now officially owns its own building for the first time in its history.

“Owning the building means our future is secure. This is an exciting milestone for our charity and one we should all celebrate, as it gives us long-term security and full ownership of our flagship service.

“1 York Road is the namesake of our charity, and has been key to our operations for 25 years. We first operated the building as a night shelter, and more recently it delivers a 24 hour service - 10 beds of emergency accommodation, available for local people in urgent need.

“During those years the property was owned by Woking Borough Council, which has been disbanding its property portfolio since declaring bankruptcy, and will be merged in 2027 into a new West Surrey local authority.

“These two circumstances were a clear threat to our continued use of the building, so we’re incredibly pleased to have been able to take ownership of 1 York Road instead of having to suspend our services there.

“We named our charity York Road Project as a commitment to delivering essential services from this building, and it’s a huge moment for us to guarantee its future in this way.”

In an important week for the charity, it is also, until 9 December, seeking donations to its Our 30th Christmas campaign.

It has a £20,000 target, with up to £10,000 match funded through the Big Give campaign.

For more details and to donate, visit yorkroadproject.org.uk