Charity coffee shop for homeless may have to close after two break ins

A local coffee shop that provides food and coffee for the homeless may only have “a few months left of trading”, after two break-ins in the space of two weeks.

Paper Cup Coffee is a not-for-profit coffee shop, raising money for Liverpool’s rough sleepers and providing homeless people with hospitality work experience. Ran by Paper Cup Project, the coffee shop opened in February last year offering support, food and drink to those affected by homelessness, but has sadly experience a spate of break-ins and thefts.

The coffee shop in Queen Square was broken into on March 21, and again on Sunday morning, with the till floats being stolen on both occassions. The door was also smashed during both incidents, with the charity having to fork out money to get the glass replaced. The venue is closed today (April 3) while repairs take place.

Funding: In the hopes of installing CCTV equipment, Paper Cup Coffee have set up of a Just Giving page, to raise funds.

What they’re saying: “The worst thing is the aftermath for us. Obviously, we’ve got to pay twice now for doors to be replaced, I’ve had to get it boarded up which is again a cost and we’re getting the glass replaced again tomorrow,” said CEO Michelle Langan.

She added: “I know a lot of people are saying get shutters, we can’t afford them. We are a charity that is running on fumes at the moment like I’ll be deadly honest with people, we’ve probably got a few months left of trading the way things are going at the moment.

“These break ins are not helping because it’s money that’s got to come out of the charity to pay for it. It’s not worth claiming on the insurance because of the excess.”