The project is designed to help rough sleepers in Bristol – a problem over 500 individuals are currently facing.
Social enterprise Places for People have expanded on their existing scheme to help homelessness people in Bristol find a stable home. The organisation have operated supported accommodation at Stonebridge Park for over 24 years and have now opened seven new one-bed homes.
The site was previously comprised of 27 living spaces but with the help of Agile Homes, the number upgraded to 34. The new homes, which are designed to give individuals a sense of independence, opened just this month and overlook the Clay Bottom Valley and Nature Reserve.
As well as partnering with Agile Homes, Places for People are also working with Bristol City Council as the seven new properties help meet targets outlined in the local authority’s ‘Better Lives In Bristol: Supported Housing Delivery Plan’.
‘These new homes will provide people with somewhere to call home, where they can live independently, with their own front door and everything they need inside,’ Rachel Crownshaw, group managing director for communities at Places for People said. ‘In addition to this, we have support workers available who can work with those living here and give them support, advice and guidance as they get back on their feet and hopefully into more permanent accommodation.’
‘People can find themselves homeless due to a large number of different reasons and this can be through no fault of their own. Our country faces a housing crisis and our own #TimetoBuild campaign last year highlighted that one in five people fear they or someone they know could be homeless within the next year. Ultimately, more homes need to be built in the long-term but right now we need projects like this to protect and support some of our most vulnerable,’ she added.
To give context, the latest figures show there are currently over 530 single homeless people living in unsupported, private sector temporary accommodation in Bristol.
Cllr Barry Parsons, chair of the homes and housing delivery at Bristol City Council, has hailed the new homes as ‘vital’.
‘These new homes will provide vital support and security for some of the most vulnerable people in our city,’ he said. ‘We are grateful to Places for People for working with us to help make a real tangible difference to people who are homeless and help them get back on their feet.
‘Clay Bottom is a beautiful, peaceful place surrounded by trees and nature, which provides a wonderful, restorative setting where people can recover from homelessness and start to move on with their lives. Having a place of your own, with support on hand, can be a crucial step to gaining independence.’
Photo by Places for People
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