A Pastor admitted he was “very proud” to celebrate five years since setting up a homeless shelter.

Paster Alex Gyasi set up the Highway House shelter at the Highway of Holiness Church, in Fountayne Road, Tottenham, and has since helped more than 600 homeless people.

To celebrate the achievements, the church held a grand celebration at Tottenham Town Hall on Saturday.

Pastor Alex revealed the rate at which the shelter has grown in just five years.

He said: “We first brought in a couple of people and they told their friends about our work and the numbers just went up and up.

“As good Christians we are taught to love our neighbours and we are very proud of the work we do for the homeless people to get them going again and get back on their feet.”

Abdi Ahmed spent two weeks at the shelter after his business was hit hard by the recession.

He said: “It was a very tough time in my life but once Alex told me what they were doing at the church, it got my confidence back.

“It is hard to predict where I would have been without the shelter but the work they do is fantastic.”

Mr Ahmed now runs his own business helping teenagers stay on the right track.

Touner Hassan, of Tottenham, was evicted in November 2013 and has lived at the shelter since then.

He said: “I was living on the streets for a couple of weeks in the cold and rain but once I found the shelter, it has been a life-saver.”

The pastor is now hoping to give the people who come to the church a comfortable place to sleep as the church floor has been the standard sleeping place.