Scheme providing flats for homeless in Hereford opens

The White Cross scheme in Hereford has opened, providing eight rooms and four self-contained flats for people who have found themselves homeless or sleeping rough in Hereford.

The scheme is run by housing association Citizen, with Herefordshire Council providing support that the homeless people may need such as with tenancy sustainment.

Customers will be referred to the facility by the Council and can stay for between six months and two years.

Cllr Ange Tyler, cabinet member for housing, regulatory services and community safety, said: ‘White Cross is a very important scheme which will provide transitional accommodation for people who need accommodation for anything between six months and two years. They will be given support to manage tenancies and will then be supported to move into more sustainable accommodation with housing associations, or private sector landlords after their stay is complete.

‘This is an exciting partnership, and we very much look forward to working with Citizen to provide much needed accommodation to support the homeless in Herefordshire.’

Head of housing support at Citizen, Liz Carroll, added: ‘We are really pleased to have opened this new scheme and we are working with Herefordshire Council to provide support here for people who were homeless. The people who move into White Cross often have high-level needs, are entrenched homeless, or have previously been living in hostels or doorways in Hereford.

‘This type of accommodation is needed in Hereford to give people a chance to learn the skills to sustain their own tenancy. So far, we have four residents, and it is nice to see them spending time with each other in the communal areas and managing their own rooms.’

Individuals are interviewed for a place at the White Cross scheme, and are given their own fresh bed linen, pots and pans for the kitchen, and new donated clothes when they move in.

In related news, ninety Croydon families on the borough’s housing waiting list will soon move into a new affordable apartment block offering council homes at council rents.

Photo supplied by Herefordshire Council