A HOUSE for previously homeless young people has opened in Cirencester.

Housing association Bromford and Cotswold District Council have teamed up to provide a home at Mount Close for three young people who had been living in supported accommodation.

One of them, 26-year-old Matt Vincent, said: “I had difficulty with managing money and knowing when to stop spending. I was constantly in debt. I couldn’t stop drinking and taking drugs - especially cannabis - which used to help me sleep. I was fired for taking drugs which also meant I lost the staff accommodation I was living in.

"I had nowhere to go and then I moved into Ashcroft Road supported housing which led to a move into Mount Close. In supported housing I got a job at Subway with encouragement from my support worker and have come off drugs too.

“It feels like a dream to have my own place – too good to be true.”

Another of the young people, 21-year-old Adam Smith, was equally pleased to be living independently at Mount Close and has also found a job at Subway.

“I moved from Luton as I wanted a fresh start in Cirencester and lived with my mother, but there were drug issues within the family and I couldn’t get a job,” he said.

“Living here gives me encouragement to move forward and live in the real world,” he added.