News / homelessness
New 24-hour ‘hub’ for homeless to open in centre of Bristol
People forced to sleep rough in Bristol will be able to access specialist 24-hour support through a new centre, set to open in the spring.
The city has been selected as one of 11 trial areas for the ‘Somewhere Safe to Stay’ hubs, as part of the Government’s £100m strategy to tackle homelessness across the country.
The aim is to provide immediate shelter and rapid assessment for those sleeping rough, or at risk of doing so, as well as specialist support for people with complex needs, such as mental health problems and substance misuse.
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Under the plans, Bristol City Council expects to receive in the region of £650,000 from the Government to set up a hub in the city centre, which should be up and running by spring.
Further details as to where exactly this will be located and how many people it will accommodate are not known at this stage.
Bristol’s first 24-hour shelter opened in St Anne’s in November
The news comes the month after a 30-bed homeless shelter opened in Brislington as a ‘temporary’ solution – with government funding to keep it open until March 2019, and again between October 2019 and March 2020.
This latest announcement has prompted some criticism that the Government’s strategy is “throwing money at short-term solutions”.
But Paul Smith, the council’s cabinet member for housing, has welcomed the funds, saying: “We are pleased to have been selected as one of 11 areas to trial the new Somewhere Safe to Stay Hubs.
“We expect to get in the region of £650,000 to set up a rapid assessment centre in central Bristol, which will provide support for vulnerable people while a sustainable route away from the streets is found.
“It will be a 24-hour service, which will allow us to offer provision for people during the day – something much needed in Bristol.
“We hope the hub will become an integral part of the Bristol Shelter Programme, which includes a number of other charities and groups operating locally.”
The number of people sleeping rough on the streets of Bristol has been recorded as 82
Homelessness and rough sleeping in Bristol has dramatically increased in the past six years amid the rising cost of living and rents outstripping wages and benefits.
The number of people sleeping rough in Bristol was officially recorded at 82 earlier this month, but the problem is likely to be far worse, with many ‘hidden homeless’ forced to sofa surf and stay in temporary accommodation.
Howard Sinclair, the chief executive of St Mungo’s, the charity expected to run the Bristol hub, said the new centres will offer “much-needed emergency shelter, where people in crisis can have their needs assessed urgently away from the extreme dangers of sleeping on the streets”.
Jasper has criticised the Government for throwing money at short-term solutions
But Jasper Thompson, director of Help Bristol’s Homeless, argues the Government should be seeking different, longer-term solutions.
“They cannot keep throwing lump sums of money at the issue,” he told Bristol24/7.
“They are not looking at the long-term and it’s just not working. This is OK as a temporary solution, but long-term, we need more houses and supported accommodation.
“Half the people on the street hate hostels and there are other solutions out there. This is just again getting a building and lumping everyone on together.”
Once open, the hub will be the only rapid assessment centre in Bristol city centre and will have capacity for female and more vulnerable users.
It will also offer day programmes for those seeking support during the day.
The first Somewhere Safe to Stay hubs will be launched in Bristol, Brighton & Hove, Cheshire West & Chester, Derby, Gloucestershire, Lincoln, Liverpool, Medway, Nottingham City, Preston and West London.
Announcing the plans, communities secretary James Brokenshire said: “No one should ever have to face a night on the streets and, as a government, we are taking steps to ensure people are never faced with this as their only option.”
Read more: Call for emergency action as homelessness in Bristol reaches crisis point
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