Latest news with #MyHousingOptions
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Man who slept rough praises 'plush' new housing in Peterborough
New temporary homes for people sleeping rough in a city were "as plush as a hotel", one of its first residents Smith, 52, said he was "surprised" by the quality of the facilities in Peterborough after staying at several other hostels and guest houses. The four shared houses on Eastfield Road, which can support up to 17 men with complex needs, have on site support workers and security around the clock."I look forward to the future," Mr Smith said, "before, I just thought I'd blown it and I wasn't going anywhere." The accommodation is provided by Off the Streets Accommodation, a housing scheme set up by Peterborough City Council and My Housing Options Community Interest Company. Mr Smith added that he questioned whether he deserved his penthouse room and en suite bathroom when he first saw them."There's people who haven't been in my situation who might think, 'He's got all that – why haven't I got those sorts of things?'," he said."But I'm getting accustomed to it and settling in. There's hope that I can heal and I'm supported in a way that I must be worth something." Mr Smith said he had problems with alcohol, drugs and his mental health after he left his job selling computers aged 27, and struggled with a lack of home has offered a new structure to his life, he said, because there was "always washing up, hoovering, sweeping or gardening" to do, as well as rules against drinking and smoking. The council said it helped fund the project through Rough Sleeping Initiative money, allocated by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Slack, Peterborough City Council's rough sleeper team leader, first suggested the scheme. "I've worked with rough sleepers for many years now and we've found that putting people in temporary accommodation was not the answer."Lots of people get evicted due to drugs, alcohol or their mental health and that doesn't happen here," she said. Ms Slack said residents would be helped into supported accommodation or privately rented accommodation when they were project also meant rough sleepers could find accommodation quickly, she said, although it was currently only offered to men and subject to availability."My team could go out tonight, find a rough sleeper and offer them accommodation and they'll move in straight away, as long as there's space," she Jones, a Labour councillor and the cabinet member for housing and communities on the authority, said the scheme was a "win-win" for people who are homeless and Peterborough residents more widely. "If you walk around the city, we are aware that we do have rough sleepers. We want to be able to help them," she said. "What we're also hoping to see is that we won't have to be concerned about rough sleepers in the city centre, which some people are quite concerned about. If that's going to reduce, that should be a win-win situation". Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
7 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Rough sleeper feels 'lucky' to have new home in Peterborough
A housing facility that provides accommodation to homeless people with complex needs has been praised by one of its first residents. Off the Streets Accommodation, on Eastfield Road, Peterborough, can support 17 people for whom hotels and B&Bs may not be site opened in April and has been providing eight people with temporary of the residents called Paul, who has previously suffered with addiction, said the project had helped him quit drinking and "become a better person". "In temporary accommodation, such as guest houses, I didn't really have the stability to conquer personal problems," he said."Being vulnerable and having mental health problems I don't think I'd have done it on my own, so I feel lucky to be looked after here."I feel lucky in my current situation – so far so good." 'The best intervention' The scheme is a collaboration between Peterborough City Council and My Housing Options Community Interest is being funded for 12 months by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of the rough sleeping initiative properties are designed to ensure those living in them are given intensive support to help them gain a pathway into permanent Wright, from My Housing Options, said: "The outreach team could find someone at 07:00 BST and the room could be provided by 09:00."Some people are here for weeks, some people with complex needs might be here for longer. But we can get them the best intervention to see where they can go." Alison Jones, a cabinet member for housing and communities at Peterborough City Council, described the programme as "unique", adding that those who use it received "the wraparound support they need"."Sometimes that's life skills that we take for granted such as cooking or budget skills, or perhaps it's visits from health specialists," she said."I can only see it as a positive for people in the city who might need that extra care - and we have to treat them as individuals."We believe that bringing them into this safe space will help them breathe and develop. Although this is not 'their home' we want them to feel like it is one." Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
