Council searching for venue to set up new homeless shelter

A new venue is sought for a homeless shelter housing up to 30 rough sleepers, the city council said.
Homelessness is on the rise in Brighton and HoveHomelessness is on the rise in Brighton and Hove
Homelessness is on the rise in Brighton and Hove

But the local authority is asking for the public's help in finding a suitable building for the shelter.

This comes after the success of a temporary night shelter at the Brighton Centre over the winter months.

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Cllr Clare Moonan, lead councillor for rough sleeping on Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “We’re tackling a national housing crisis at our local level. This is the next step in helping vulnerable people on our streets gain shelter and support to move away from the dangerous rough sleeping lifestyle. “Over the winter months we ran a successful night shelter at the Brighton Centre. We’ve gained valuable insight from the shelter which will be used as part of the innovative ways we can help more moving forward, working with partners, residents and communities across the city.

“It’s a huge challenge. We’re seeing more vulnerable people sleeping rough on our streets at a time when funding from government is being dramatically reduced, which is having an impact on services. We are determined to help those in need and we are making sure the funds available are invested in the best way possible. We’ll be sharing regular updates as the plans develop over the coming months.”

At the last count in November 2017, Brighton and Hove had an estimated 178 people sleeping on the streets, compared to 2016's figure of 144.

The council is looking for a building with:

- Space to accommodate up to 30 people, ideally with smaller separate rooms

- Kitchen and toilet facilities

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- Safe premises meeting fire safety and health and safety regulations

- Availability from summer or early autumn 2018

- Access from 6pm to 8am, 365 days of the year from the day the service starts running

- A central location

- Disability access

- Storage space for equipment

- Low costs

Anyone who is able to help should email [email protected] with details of the property and contact details before Thursday, May 17.

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