| has gloss | eng: The penny sit-up was a Victorian era term to describe one of the first homeless shelters to be created for the people of Blackfriars. Blackfriars is located in central London. It was operated by the Salvation Army during the late 1800s and early 1900s in order to provide comfort and support to its destitute clients. What made this shelter unique was that in exchange for a penny, clients would be allowed to sit on a bench in a reasonably warm room all night long. Moreover, they were not allowed to lie down and sleep on the bench. A penny sit-up was the cheapest homeless shelter at that time. There were more expensive homeless shelters available in London, such as a "four penny coffin". |
