Centrepoint (charity)
History
History
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The charity was founded by the [Anglo\-Catholic](/wiki/Anglo-Catholicism "Anglo-Catholicism") socialist priest [Kenneth Leech](/wiki/Kenneth_Leech "Kenneth Leech") and set up its first shelter in [St Anne's Church, Soho](/wiki/St_Anne%27s_Church%2C_Soho "St Anne's Church, Soho"), on 16 December 1969\.

Leech's motivation stemmed from the influx of economic migrants into London in the 1960s in search of employment. However, due to a lack of affordable housing, many found themselves alone and homeless on the city streets. Collaborating with the Simon Community, a collective of homeless individuals and volunteers, Leech aimed to provide temporary shelter for young people facing homelessness. At the first night of the basement's opening, no one attended, but within a month, the space attracted 600 individuals each night. By the end of the first year, the church had provided temporary shelter for 5,000 young people.

The organisation was named Centrepoint in response to the building [Centre Point](/wiki/Centre_Point "Centre Point") being seen as an "affront to the homeless" for being left empty to make money for the property developer.

In 1986, Centrepoint underwent a notable transformation. Richard Lester, a city broker, was approached by a homeless man named Martin Shaw, who asked for money for a cup of coffee. In response, Richard initially provided £5,000, which Martin utilized to assist the homeless population in London. Their collaboration resulted in the establishment of Centrepoint's inaugural dedicated hostel, featuring over 100 beds. While Richard funded the initiative and set up the first hostel, Martin took on the day\-to\-day management of the site.

On 7 October 2005, Centrepoint had broadened its geographical reach beyond London, opening an accommodation service in [Consett](/wiki/Consett "Consett"), [County Durham](/wiki/County_Durham "County Durham")

[Diana, Princess of Wales](/wiki/Diana%2C_Princess_of_Wales "Diana, Princess of Wales"), was formerly Centrepoint's patron. In 2005 Centrepoint became Prince William's first patronage.

Its ambassadors include the Radio 1 DJ [Sara Cox](/wiki/Sara_Cox "Sara Cox"), the fashion model [Lady Kitty Spencer](/wiki/Lady_Kitty_Spencer "Lady Kitty Spencer"), the actress [Lisa Maxwell](/wiki/Lisa_Maxwell_%28actress%29 "Lisa Maxwell (actress)"), and the journalist and presenter [Kirsty Young](/wiki/Kirsty_Young "Kirsty Young"). One of the first people Centrepoint helped was Sandy Marks, who went on to be the Mayor of [Islington](/wiki/Islington "Islington") in 1996\.


What was the number of individuals who attended the first night of Centrepoint's opening?