Hales House, Torfaen's first purpose built supported living accommodation for young, single, homeless people is set to open next week when 20 young people move into their new temporary accommodation in Osbourne Road, Pontypool. The 20 bed accommodation includes disabled facilities and cost £950,000 funded by the Welsh Assembly Government.
An open evening for local people to view the scheme, meet staff and ask questions is set to take place on Wednesday 21 March at 6pm.
Torfaen has seen an unprecedented increase in the number of young, single homeless people in the last few years driven by rising house prices and the lack of affordable accommodation. Each year the Council receives hundreds of homelessness presentations, mostly from 16-25 year olds.
When suitable accommodation cannot be found, young people are often placed in Bed and Breakfast facilities and due to limited availability in Torfaen, people can be placed in Newport or as far away as Bristol.
Access to the temporary accommodation for young people aged 16 - 24yrs old will be referral only via the Council's Homelessness Team.
Staff from SOLAS part of the Seren Group, will provide 24-hour support to the young people to help them to stand on their own two feet. Each room has its own cooking facilities in the self contained flats, but also some communal areas for group activities.
The project which has been completed in partnership with the GENuS group will be managed by SOLAS who are specialists dealing with the needs of young homeless people and run hostels through South-East Wales, including Monmouthshire and Newport.
Councillor Gwyneira Clark, Executive Member for Housing, said: "This scheme will make a massive difference for Torfaen's young homeless by providing sustainable support to equip them with skills for independent living in the community. Young people are often made homeless by situations beyond their control and problems are compounded when they are moved out of their community and away from a network on which they often rely."
Amanda Davies, Chief Executive of the Seren Group, commented: "Being 'homeless' is not a condition reserved for particular groups of people. It can happen to anyone, through circumstances often beyond an individual's control. Becoming homeless at an early age can have a life-long impact that can significantly affect a person's confidence and self-esteem.
"Having a safe place to live in a supportive environment, is a vital part of the process of rebuilding self-confidence , for these young people. Facilities such as Hales House, which has been purpose built with young people in mind, provides a much needed service within the Torfaen area. We at Seren are both pleased and proud to be part of this extremely positive and much needed scheme."