'Squalid' hostel gets new face-lift (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

'Squalid' hostel gets new face-lift

THE FORMER Firs hostel for the homeless has re-opened following a £425,000 revamp which has transformed the building.

The complex in Victoria Road, Cirencester has been renamed Spring House and was officially opened last week by Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown.

Eleven units will provide emergency and short-term accommodation, and the first new tenants are due to move in this week.

Last February, the Standard exposed how families with young children were being housed in squalid conditions for long periods at the Fosseway Housing Association-run hostel.

A family of five had been housed in a flat consisting of one room, a kitchen and a bathroom for eight months, while one man had been living in a bedsit with his three young sons for ten months.

Two weeks later, Cotswold district councillors approved plans for a refurbishment programme, although housing officers claimed this was not related to the article, saying the scheme had been in the pipeline for some time.

Following refurbishment work, which was started in October last year, the centre now boasts modern, well-equipped, self-contained flats and bedsits.

There are six flats - three of which have two bedrooms while the rest have one - and five bedsits, and all units come complete with cookers, fridges and curtains. Basic furniture is also provided in the bedsits.

In addition, security has been stepped-up through the use of CCTV and an electronic door entry system.

An on-site manager has also been appointed to run the building and work with residents to help them find permanent accommodation.

Units will cost between around £112 and £136 per week.

The modernisation programme is the first at the building since it was converted into a hostel in 1986, and was carried out by Cotswold District Council in conjunction with Fosseway Housing.

Maurice Brennan, head of health and environment at CDC, said: "We have given very careful consideration to the refurbishment and have worked hard to find the right enhancements.

"I think we have done as much as we reasonably can, and are now waiting to see how it will work. I'm quite optimistic about it.

"We will review it in a few months' time to see if anything needs to be improved."

Trevor Rowe, of Fosseway Housing, said the hostel manager would be a real boost for residents.

"It will make a huge difference to residents to have someone to talk to about their problems, and the manager will also help with things like getting them registered with a doctor."

Last spring, the Standard invited Mr Clifton-Brown to visit the hostel.

The MP described conditions there as 'appalling', adding: "No human being should be asked to live like this."

Opening the building on Friday, he praised the alterations, saying homelessness was a growing problem nationally.

He said: "We should never forget that what this is all about is people.

"If we can help people to get on the ladder to a better life through this refurbishment, then it has been worthwhile."

Homelessness across the country was rising because not enough new homes were being built, he said.

Mr Clifton-Brown said he looked forward to visiting the hostel again to meet residents.

Fosseway Housing and CDC deal with an average of 180 applications from homeless people, of which around 70 meet the requirements for housing.

Cllr Sandy Price, chairman of CDC's community committee, said: "This is part of our on-going commitment to helping the most desperate people."

Homeless people were housed in empty Fosseway Housing properties in the area while the work was taking place.

The building, which is built on a Schedules Ancient Monument Site, still contains its original staircase, which was restored during the work.

Before the official opening around 40 people living near the building were invited to see the work.