New director appointed at Shelter

Homelessness charity Shelter has announced the appointment of
its new director, writes Clare
Jerrom.

Adam Sampson will take up his new role in January next year from
his current post as chief executive of RAPt, an agency working with
offenders who have drugs and alcohol problems, many of whom are
homeless.

He replaces Chris Holmes, who left several months ago after
seven years in the post.

His past roles have mainly been campaigning to reform the
criminal justice system. Sampson, who is a qualified social worker,
was deputy director of the Prison Reform Trust for five years, and
spent three years setting up the Prisons Ombudsman at the home
office.

“I started out working directly with homeless people as a night
shelter worker in the late 70s. The tide has turned since then, and
there is now a real opportunity to secure lasting change for
homeless people,” he said, adding that he was delighted to take on
such a role when tackling bad housing and homelessness “is rising
fast up the political agenda”.