City’s young homeless to get beds at £1m centre

A charity is planning a new £1million centre to house homeless young people in Wearside.

Centrepoint plans a purpose-built home for 16 to 21-year-olds in Dundas Street, Monkwearmouth.

It is hoped the housing charity’s facility will help cut the number of young people sleeping rough or staying in bed and breakfasts in the city.

The “supported housing project” would provide both accommodation and training to help break the cycle of homelessness.

In the past year, 59 homeless young people were sent to live in bed and breakfasts – often outside the city – at a cost of £35,000 because there was nowhere else for them to stay.

The new housing project would help Sunderland City Council meet its target of not having any 16 or 17-year-olds living in bed and breakfast accommodation by next year.

It would also minimise the number of under-18s sleeping rough by providing emergency accommodation.

Councillors are set to hand over the Dundas Street site – valued at £75,000 – for free to Centrepoint and the council will also help the charity in bidding for £832,000 in funding to help pay for the home.

Maxine Edney, chief operations officer at Centrepoint, said the new building would not just provide a place for young people to stay with 24-hour support, but also education on everything from nutrition to job-searching skills.

She added: “We recognise that young people are often not just homeless but have other support needs and reasons contributing to their homelessness.

“Also we wanted to work with young people to look at why their relationship with their families has broken down and, if possible – and we know it isn’t always possible – see if they can maintain a relationship with their parent or other family.”

Ms Edney said Centrepoint had won a top award for its comprehensive support and training, and also worked with young people to help them become part of their community.

“That helps break down the ‘them and us’ situation which can occur when people think there’s a ‘hostel in their street’, for example,” she said.

Work on the new centre – which will also be open to those leaving the care system – could start as soon as February next year, and be complete by the following February.

Centrepoint is a national charity working to improve the lives of socially excluded, homeless young people and provides a range of accommodation-based services.

It is already contracted by the council to provide an “immediate access supporting housing project” for young people in the city.

Its Sunderland operation is presently based in Mowbray Road, Hendon – but its planning permission is due to run out in March.

The building is also deemed unsuitable because of its size, layout and state of repair.

In the past six months 37 young people have joined the service and 15 have left, but there is still a big short-fall in the amount of spaces available.

Senior councillors on Sunderland’s ruling cabinet are recommended to approve the hand-over of the Dundas Street site to Centrepoint – subject to terms to be agreed by the council – at a meeting at Sunderaland Civic Centre today.

Taken from Sunderland Echo