Homeless support workers have paid tribute to a founder of a groundbreaking Oxford homeless shelter after his death at the age of 69.

Mike Hall had been a prominent member of the city’s Cyrenian community since its formation in 1967 and helped to set up Simon House when it was first based off Mill Street, by the railway line.

A former guest and later colleague of Mr Hall’s, Josey McGowan, 62, said he had first met him in the 1970s and later became a volunteer at Simon House, as well as a trained social worker.

The father-of-two, of Judmore Close, said: “I had come from Northern Ireland and travelled the country, but during the [economic] slump I found myself homeless in Oxford.

“I turned up at Simon House and they reached out to me, which was not an easy thing to do at the time – I had been drinking in the streets.

“But they were always there for me. The old railway buildings were a bit dilapidated, but it was a very warm and friendly place where they treated you like a human being.”

Mr Hall was warden when the hostel moved to a new building in Paradise Square, in 1981, and held his position until 1994.

The hostel was notable for its strict policy on alcohol or drug abuse, with potential guests breathalysed at the door and barred unless they were sober.

Its methods for rehabilitating the homeless were also innovative at the time, with a focus on steering guests into new vocations to lift them out of poverty.

After leaving, Mr Hall took over a pub in Brighton and lived in the area until his death.

His former colleague, Tom Hawksley, said: “Mike cajoled and persuaded people to give money so he could then open the new hostel that still stands in Paradise Street, it was a massive achievement.

“He made a mark on Oxford that stands today and thousands of homeless people had a roof over their heads because of him.”

Mr Hall was born in Salford, Lancashire, on July 17, 1945, to parents Jack and Elizabeth.

He grew up with a brother, Frankie, and was a pupil at De La Salle College in Salford.

After leaving school at 18 he spent some time travelling and worked in several homeless shelters, eventually staying to work at one in Dublin in the mid-1960s.

He moved to Oxford in 1967 and became a pupil at Plater College, an adult education college based in Boars Hill.

After two years there, he got in to Campion Hall – a private hall of Oxford University – and read philosophy, politics and economics for three years.

During his studies, he started the Oxford Cyrenians, a charity devoted to helping the homeless, in the city and met his future wife, Dilly de-Ville, a nurse at the Radcliffe Infirmary, while volunteering at the Slade Park travellers’ site. They were married in 1972 and had two children, Katherine in 1978 and Jonjo in 1983. They adopted their third child, Kara Wright, in September 1983 when she was aged 13.

The Cyrenians operated a homeless night shelter in the old railway sheds in Osney Lane, but Mr Hall led a campaign to fundraise for a £1m purpose-built centre.

That building, in Paradise Street, opened in 1981, with about 50 beds.

Mr Hall worked there until the mid-1990s, leaving after separating from his wife.

He moved to Brighton and became landlord of The New Kensington Pub, a role he continued until the early 2000s.

The former landlord also volunteered for several years at Glastonbury Festival, running the disabled tent.

Mr Hall died on April 12 and his funeral was held at The Downs Crematorium on May 1, coinciding with International Workers’ Day.

He is survived by his three children, Kara, Katherine and Jonjo and one granddaughter, Jemima.