Liverpool relocates homeless to prevent coronavirus spread

Liverpool City Council will relocate homeless people with health conditions and rough sleepers in shared facilities to more appropriate housing to help reduce the spread of coronavirus in Liverpool

It means the council’s rough sleeper shelter Labre House will close, with people currently sharing communal spaces and bathrooms transferred instead to places with separate rooms and bathrooms – such as aparthotels – which will enable them to self-isolate if necessary.

Homeless households currently in bed and breakfast accommodation will be moved to aparthotels, as will those with health conditions in temporary accommodation where they cannot safely self-isolate. They will continue to be offered support.

In total the council is securing units for 110 individuals and around 50 households to help keep them safe during the current pandemic, costing around £300k for the next three months.

In the longer term, the council is looking at a range of other options that would prove more cost effective solutions.

Outreach teams are continuing to visit the city centre every day to encourage rough sleepers inside and provide them with appropriate medical support if necessary.

The council is working closely with health colleagues to proactively identify anyone with underlying health conditions and ensure they are offered targeted advice, support and a move to alternative accommodation if necessary.

Anyone in Liverpool who is at immediate risk of becoming homeless is being urged to contact the council’s Housing Options Team via phone or online.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: ‘The homeless are one of our most vulnerable groups and many have underlying health issues, so it is absolutely vital we do all we can to keep them safe and reduce the spread of coronavirus.

‘Some of the accommodation we use for both rough sleepers and homeless people is temporary in nature which means it is more akin to a hostel and generally works well as a place for people to shelter, with shared facilities, while we find them somewhere more suitable.

‘However, this is an unprecedented situation, which is why we have been working very hard behind the scenes over the last few weeks to come up with alternative provision that provides them with a place to stay that does not leave them exposed to the risk of coronavirus.’

Photo Credit – Pixabay