London church takes in 'most disenfranchised' men, releases them ready to work and be independent

A church in Tottenham, London has served as a home to hundreds of "the most disenfranchised" men in society, including those that even charities won't help, and has helped them get back on their feet.

Highway House provides more than just shelter. It provides food, counseling and employment training, and it helps connect people with the right jobs.

The shelter started when Alex Gyasi, pastor of Highway of Holiness church in London, and his wife Dorcas saw two homeless men and invited them over for dinner.

The two men knocked on their door days later. Gyasi and his wife decided to have them over for dinner three nights a week. A few weeks later, the two men showed up with 20 other homeless men.

"We soon decided to turn one of the toilets into a shower, so the men could wash, change, feel fresh and clean. The change in their confidence was enormous and soon the men were feeling more positive," Gyasi wrote on the church's website.

They also became more sociable, and they were able to report for job interviews looking decent.

After a few setbacks in Highway House's early days, it now provides a range of public services. London's major hospitals, charities, other churches and the police refer homeless men they can't accommodate to the shelter for help.

Gyasi said he receives at least three calls a day for such referrals.

A study released in December 2015 showed that for every £1 invested into Highway House, society gets a £5 return "in the form of savings to the public sector."

"Any investment in Highway House that may help it to grow and provide a service to a larger number of people will yield a larger SROI ratio and return to the public," study author Marcello Bertotti wrote.

The study results have encouraged Gyasi, as the shelter is completely dependent on donations for its operations.

Today, the shelter is home to 50 people, some of whom have struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. Many of them have lost contact with their loved ones.

The shelter has helped them "rebuild their lives, rebuild their confidence and rebuild themselves." Plans for expansion are being considered so the shelter can accommodate women, too.

However, the shelter is not without problems, as it sometimes gets "burglars, rapists and murderers."

"It's not smooth sailing: we do get violence," Gyasi said, according to The Guardian.

The congregation also faced a challenge; some members left because "they didn't want to share their church with alcoholics and drug addicts."

However, when the congregation began to see how people's lives were transformed at Highway House, how marriages and families were restored and how people with substance addiction were set free, they understood that the shelter has a long-term impact, and that is "priceless."