PLANS are being discussed to open a new shelter that would help take Bolton's homeless people off the streets during winter.

Town hall bosses are working with various organisations across the town who help provide food and accommodation for homeless people, with a long-term goal of setting up a large shelter.

A new shelter with space for 20 people recently opened in Miles Platting to help homeless people through the winter, and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has pledged to tackle homelessness across the region and eliminate rough sleeping by 2020.

While talks about a similar space in Bolton remain at an early stage, it is hoped that a solution can be found.

Billa Ahmed, who manages around 80 volunteers in Bolton for Homeless Aid UK, said: "The whole Bolton community has come together to help people who are struggling on our streets.

"Unfortunately, for every rough sleeper who is taken off the streets another seems to take their place.

"We spoke to the council and they said that around 13 homeless people had been found shelters for over Christmas, but seven were still on the street.

"But my argument is that there are a lot of hidden homeless and that problem is getting worse and worse.

"One of my friends donated his house for winter and we have put five people in there until Bolton Council can provide an alternative for them.

"We are in talks about opening up a larger place somewhere in Bolton to provide more shelter, but we are still in the early stages with that.

"We need a place where people can turn up and say, 'I'm homeless and I need somewhere to stay the night', without having to meet any conditions."

Earlier this year, Bolton Council bosses visited a street kitchen for the homeless in Bolton town centre, following a row over the number of rough sleepers in the borough.

Official statistics said that there were an average of eight people sleeping rough on Bolton's streets every night, but campaigners said there were actually as many as 50.

Since then, the council has met with a number of agencies across Bolton to encourage them to work together in partnership to fully understand the scale of homelessness and rough sleeping.

Cllr Nick Peel, the council's cabinet member for environmental services, said: "We have had a meeting with all of the relevant agencies and organisations who provide accommodation or food for the homeless.

"We are looking at some short term plans for this winter and then a broader long-term strategy.

"We are talking about an alliance of all of these organisations in Bolton, but we need to work out who does what because a lot of the work that goes on is under the radar.

"A larger shelter is something that we are quite keen to progress, but I have to emphasise that the work that goes on in Bolton already is really good.

"The problem of homelessness would be much worse if we didn't provide the services we do.

"We estimate that our work has prevented around 1,000 people from becoming homeless.

"Rough sleeping is just the sharp end of the issue, but the council does a lot of good work dealing with prevention and some really, really complex cases."

Mr Ahmed added: "The average life expectancy of a homeless person is 47. It is a real shame in this day and age that we have people sleeping on the streets in one of the richest countries in a world.

"It used to be unheard that people leaving hospital or coming out of the armed services would end up on the street. But that is something we hear more and more of. Every homeless person has a story to tell."