DAY services in Oxford are providing food and essential items to more than 100 homeless and vulnerably housed people every day during the coronavirus lockdown.

The Porch day centre is offering a food takeaway service seven days a week, though its other activities have been suspended.

People can collect food from 139 Magdalen Road between 12pm and 2pm every day.

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Since Monday The Porch has also been running a new mobile delivery service to people in supported accommodation and on the streets.

On March 26 the government directed councils to provide self-contained accommodation for everyone rough sleeping or living in shared hostel spaces, and Oxford City Council has now leased more than 100 hotel rooms for the purpose.

It has also made separate arrangements to provide food and essential items to people self-isolating in hotels.

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However, some people have refused offers of accommodation and there continue to be people new to rough sleeping who have not yet been accommodated, it said.

People still on the streets can collect hot food and essential items from Bonn Square from 12pm to 2pm. The Porch is also delivering to its members and other people in supported accommodation across the city from 2pm to 6pm.

This combination of collection and delivery means that more than 100 people continue to get help every day. On Thursday, 40 people attended The Porch in person and 44 received deliveries.

Measures allowing people to practise social distancing are in place for both collection and delivery.

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The Porch has been joined by volunteers from Oxford’s other day services to help it provide the new outreach service.

Donate to the centre's response fund at justgiving.com/campaign/ThePorch-Covid-19-ResponseFund

The Porch is also looking for more volunteers to help deliver the new outreach service.

You can sign up by calling 01865 251798 or emailing guy@theporch.org.uk

Jon Fitzpatrick, director of The Porch day centre, said: “Nobody deserves to be left behind during the coronavirus emergency just because they’re homeless, and our new collection and delivery service is already helping more than 100 people every day.

"Our volunteers have been joined by people from other day services and I’d like to thank them all for their dedication and hard work in taking on the virus.

"If you’d like to join our fight, we’re looking for new volunteers and you can also donate to our COVID-19 Response Fund on Justgiving."