City and St Mungo’s to open B&B-style accommodation for older rough sleepers

05 March 2010

St Mungo's and The City of London Corporation are opening The Lodge at St Ursula's this month - B&B-style accommodation specifically aimed at helping long term, older rough sleepers.

The Lodge exteriorGuests at 40-bed The Lodge will have more independence over their lives than in a traditional hostel, but also the support of Lodge staff and outreach workers who will actively help them with move on options, depending on people's various needs. It is believed to be the first joint charity and local authority managed project of its kind in the UK.

The City and St Mungo's expect The Lodge's guests to be long-term rough sleepers, aged between 40 and 65, some of whom may have been on the streets for decades. It is hoped that guests will move from The Lodge into more permanent accommodation. The first guests are set to move in on Monday 15 March on referral from outreach services.

They will have a regular bed for the night with staff on hand if they do need any further help. They will also have the chance to meet staff from outreach teams and access other services who will make regular visits to the hotel each week. Outreach workers will actively assist guests with move-on options, depending on people's various needs.

The Lodge has been refurbished to a high standard by leading architect Gus Alexander. It has a welcoming communal TV lounge, a dining area, a laundry and a kitchen for guests to use. The Lodge has received funding from the Homes and Communities Agency's £80m Places of Change programme, The City of London Corporation and the Fresh Hope Trust.

This exciting project draws some of its inspiration from the privately-run Lindsay Hotel, based within The City of London.

Charles Fraser, Chief Executive of St Mungo's, said: "We know that older rough sleepers are some of the most resistant to the usual routes away from the streets - often very independent, self-sufficient people used to their own patterns of daily life. There is a tendency for them to be unwilling to use the current services on offer. Our challenge then is to provide a better alternative to sleeping on the streets that appeals to them directly.

"The answer, we hope, is the Lodge. As a hotel rather than a hostel it will offer guests a fresh approach, with the back up of assistance to find their own permanent accommodation. The Lodge is an exciting example of what can be achieved when funders, council partners and services providers share a desire to try a new, imaginative approach to tackling rough sleeping. We're very pleased to be working with the City of London in this new joint venture."

Billy Dove, Chairman of the Community and Children's Services Committee at the City of London said: "The City of London works hard to engage with rough sleepers, support them to access specialist services and ultimately to get them off the streets and to begin rebuilding their lives and The Lodge at St Ursula's is a further demonstration of this commitment. I am confident those using The Lodge will thrive in a more independent environment, with the support of staff where necessary. We are grateful to the Homes and Communities Agency and others who are backing The Lodge as a place with the potential to transform hundreds of lives."

Councillor James King, Executive Member for Community Safety, Camden Council, said: "This accommodation will give homeless older people the opportunity to become independent and support themselves, increasing their chances of staying off the streets. Many homeless people have issues such as alcohol dependency and other health issues, and The Lodge will allow them to receive help they need whilst gradually enabling them to support themselves. I hope this project means many long term homeless older people will be able to get off the streets for good. The hostel management team, Camden Council's outreach services and the police will work closely with the local community to ensure that the project does not have a negative impact on the local area."

David Lunts, HCA London Regional Director, said: "This unique scheme will help those rough sleepers who slip through the net for conventional homelessness support. It is another example of the HCA looking to identify a range of approaches to combat rough sleeping through the Places of Change programme, which is helping individuals make the transition from the street to a settled home."

ENDS

See coverage in Inside Housing magazine

Contact

  • Susanna Howard, City of London Corporation Press Office, on 020 7332 3450, email: susanna.howard@cityoflondon.gov.uk
  • Judith Higgin, St Mungo's Press Office, on 020 8762 5645, email: judith.higgin@mungos.org

The City of London Corporation, which provides local government services for the Square Mile, the financial and commercial heart of Britain, works nationally and internationally to maintain and enhance the City as a world-leading international financial and business centre.

St Mungo's has been helping rough sleepers and homeless people in the capital for 40 years. In the last year our outreach teams helped almost 450 people off the streets, we provided accommodation for more than 1,400 homeless people every night and we supported over 1,000 clients with their mental health and substance use needs. St Mungo's runs over 100 housing, health and work projects in London and the South (Bristol, Oxford, Reading).

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is the single, national housing and regeneration agency for England. Its role is to create opportunities for people to live in high quality, sustainable places. The HCA provides funding for affordable homes, brings land back into productive use and improves the quality of life by raising standards for the physical and social environment. For more information, please contact Ben Ashmore on 020 7633 3486 / ben.ashmore@hca.gsx.gov.uk

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