Government announces plans to turn homeless hostels into half-way houses

The government has announced an extra £9.6 million to help rough sleepers make a permanent move away from the streets. Thirteen projects will benefit from the scheme, the latest initative in the government's Places of Change programme.

The funding will improve and build new hostels and homelessness services across the country, helping homeless people back into independent living by giving them new skills and training. The new services will enable residents to learn practical skills such as catering or decorating

The government's existing Hostels Capital Improvement Programme has acheived a 30 per cent increase in moving previously homeless people into training, education, employment, or independent living.  According to Homelessness Minister Iain Wright, "Hostels are already doing brilliant work with some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and this extra funding will enable them to help rebuild the lives of many more.

The Places of Change Programme (PCP) is a 3-year programme which will run from 2008 to 2011 and aims to improve services available to rough sleepers so they can make the transition from the street to a settled home; to increase the number of people moving on from their hostel or homelessness service in a positive way; and to increase the number moving into education and employment.

List of Places of Change Programme Projects

• 1) Newcastle - Matt Talbot Hostel (North East) The last remaining shared-room accommodation in Newcastle. It is in a dire state of repair but its location offers great opportunities for linking in with the community.
• 2) Stop Gap - Tynedale (North East) Refurbishment of a short stay assessment centre for single rough sleepers. This is the only provision of its kind in Northumberland.
• 3) Bath - Bath Churches Housing Association (South West) An underground dormitory for 35 people in Bath, beds 2 feet apart and some on the floor with an overflow into a church hall which shares space with a children's nursery. We will build in its place an assessment centre with single room accommodation, a social enterprise and a day centre 4) Torbay - Resettlement Project - Shekinah Mission (South West) - The grant will be used to rebuild the current daycentre and 'Community Payback' workshop to create a much larger, fit for purpose engagement, assessment and social enterprise centre. It is also proposed to build 6 training flats on the site.
• 5) Mole Valley (Leatherhead) - Night hostel (South East) There are dormitories of 4/5 to a room and cramped staff areas in a house in bad repair. We will build an assessment centre with short stay single room accommodation.
• 6) The Gap - Oxford (South East) The Gap is a day-service for homeless, vulnerable and socially marginalised people in Oxford City Centre. The PCP will enable the creation of a training kitchen for residents, an enhanced medical service as well as refurbishment of parts of the centre.
• 7) Nottingham - Bentinck Rd (East Mids) Training & employment centre built between a young person's and an older homeless person's hostel, catering for both. Framework are an excellent provider who have brought match funding from the Housing Corporation and their own resources for the whole development. Nottingham has not previously benefited from either HCIP or PCP.
• 8) Birmingham/ Manchester - Training for Life (West Mids) 'Training for Life' a social Enterprise organisation will start up schools to train social entrepreneurs amongst homeless people themselves in Manchester and Birmingham 9) Blackpool - Street Life daycentre (North West) The excellent Street Life Night shelter has lost it's building for daytime engagement, advice and activities. This means that the hostel now only offers a bed which is contrary to the PCP aims. We will purchase a town centre site that is available and equip to provide skills for young people.
• 10) Graham House - London Vital Central London resource which is the destination for old entrenched street drinkers. It's institutional, tired and needs upgrading.
• 11) Seymour Place - London The front line hostel, or "rolling shelter", for rough sleeping in Westminster is institutional with no space for engagement activities. The proposal is for a "Challenge Anneka" style initiative which will involve service users in refurbishing the interior.
• 12) Arlington House (Novas Scarman) - Camden Arlington House is often referred to as "the largest hostel in Europe" and following extensive remodelling the hostel will provide 130 high quality accommodation units for homeless people. The scheme will also provide resources that aim to engage homeless people with employment, training and creative opportunities.
• 13) Mountbatten Centre (The Salvation Army) - Southampton The Mountbatten Centre is currently a 62 bed-space hostel for single homeless men which is being refurbished to provide 46 en-suite rooms, support & training facilities in a modern supported housing scheme for homeless people. The completed project will aim to tackle the root causes of homelessness to ensure that its clients are resettled effectively.