Council seeks to turn hostel into centre for the homeless

Currently there are only two beds set aside for rough sleepers in the East Riding and they are for the under-25s, although the area has one of the highest rough sleeper counts in the country.

In a count last year 15 people were found sleeping rough,11 of whom were in Bridlington.

All were white and British.

East Riding Council has been given a grant of just under £300,000 from the Homes and Communities Agency to buy and convert the hostel on Marshall Avenue, in Bridlington. They hope to have it open by next September.

The aim is to provide a place where people can address the issues that led to them becoming rough sleepers in the first place and equip them with skills for independent living. Most people would be expected to stay there for three to six months.

John Craig, forward planning and housing strategy manager said: “The scheme we are offering is far more holistic, not just accommodation, but a range of support mechanisms, whether that’s life skills or training opportunities.”

The hostel will have an “emergency” bedroom and 10 other en-suite bedrooms which will be filled by referrals through the council’s outreach team. The facility will be dry and drugs free.

The most recent homelessness figures for the third quarter of the year show there were 24 people classified “unintentionally homeless” in the East Riding, nine of whom were housed by the local authority.

The authority will own the building and a managing agent and housing-related support provider will be appointed to run it.

Recent statistics revealed Bridlington now has worse levels of economic and social deprivation than any other town in the East Riding, and some are among the worst in England.

The smallest measure available, covering neighbourhoods of about 1,500 people (known as Lower Super Output Areas), shows that Bridlington has some desperate problems. Of the 32,482 LSOAs in England, Bridlington South ward – the area around Windsor Crescent, St Hilda Street and the harbour – is ranked 505th, making it one of the worst in the country.