Hostel given a month’s reprieve

Dock House, in St Peter Street, Hull was supposed to close with the opening of the nearby £5m Crossings hostel, but was reopened in December.

Despite providing an extra 18 beds as well as those at the Crossings and the William Booth hostel, people are still being turned away - a tent on the verge opposite is a familiar sight.

Operations manager at the Crossings Kelly Thompson said: “It’s good news for the residents who were in there because they were all distraught about potentially being homeless. The Crossing is full, William Booth is full - you can fill a bed within minutes.”

Laura Carr, Hull Council’s Head of Physical Regeneration said the extension allowed them to plan for the long term. She added: “Part of this work will be to identify the alternative accommodation options for the people who are currently using Dock House. We want to see rough sleeping reduced across the city and homelessness prevented wherever possible.”