How Lotus Sanctuary is giving the homeless a home

After years in the property business, Gurpaal Singh Judge decided he needed some soul in his work. He tells Heather Martin about the Lotus Sanctuary and its self-imposed mission to solve homelessness

Gurpaal Singh Judge’s community interest company has a strong identity and philosophy (Lotus Sanctuary)

Lotus Sanctuary’s self-imposed mission is to solve homelessness and Gurpaal Singh Judge, chief executive of the community interest company, says: “It’s in the word... if you’re homeless, what you need is a home. A cup of coffee and a conversation is nice but a home is better.”

Gurpaal is not one to put off until tomorrow what can be done today. One morning he turned up at work to find a woman sleeping rough outside the Lotus head office in Wolverhampton and by the night-time she was in a home of her own. The place was hers for two years if she needed it.

It was pure chance she’d ended up on his doorstep. It was two other women who had inspired him to act in the first place.