A £3.5M centre for homeless people in Oxford has been changing lives since it opened in November.

And it is now preparing to hand over its cafe operation to people on its training courses.

More than 150 people have taken part in classes since the Old Fire Station in George Street was transformed into a Crisis Skylight education and training centre for the homeless.

It offers help for people seeking employment and one-to-one counselling, aiming to prove that homeless people need more than simply a roof over their heads.

To qualify for the classes, people have to be homeless or have been homeless in the past five years.

Courses include practical skills like bicycle repair, art, music and dance classes and basic literacy and numeracy.

Kate Cocker, head of Crisis Skylight Oxford, said: “It has been going really well, we are just coming to the end of our 10-week term and over 150 people have come in and taken part in one of our classes.

“And we’ve got lots more signed up for the next term.”

Miss Cocker added: “We have a lot of work for people wanting to get back into employment, things like CV writing.

“With many of our more creative classes, they give people a kind of confidence and self esteem they need. And then we can follow that on with the education and employment side.”

One already successful aspect of the centre is the cafe, which has been up and running since November.

In the next few weeks, it will transform into a training cafe, offering a four-month voluntary work and training programme for up to 15 homeless people at a time.

It will provide the chance to gain real experience in a working environment.

It is based on a London model already up and running – which has proved to get two people into employment each month.

Miss Cocker said: “This will give people the chance to earn qualifications and potentially move into a career in the catering industry.

“We will be giving 45 people a year some real work experience, so it would be great if the public could come by – not only will they get a good cup of coffee, but it comes with an added message that the coffee is benefitting real people.”

The building is also home to Arts at the Old Fire Station, an independent charity which provides dance, art, theatre and music workshops.

Kate, who does not want to reveal her last name, is homeless and looking for work.

She said: “When I first came to Crisis Skylight I felt incredibly vulnerable and did not want to talk to anyone. Now I am beginning to feel positive about my future and proud of my achievements.”