A plan to buy a large building in the city to provide temporary accommodation for homeless people has been approved by Worcester city councillors.
The move will contribute to the City Council’s plan of reducing its use of privately-owned bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless families. By owning its own temporary accommodation, the City Council can provide more suitable housing for people at risk of homelessness, and also save money.
The proposal for the Council to buy a large building on Henwick Road from the University of Worcester was approved by the Policy and Resources Committee on Tuesday 24 March.
Councillor Lynn Denham, Chair of the Committee and Leader of the Council, said: “Since 2019 we have been acquiring more of our own properties for use as temporary accommodation by families and individuals who the Council has a legal obligation to accommodate.
“This approach is good news for people who are at risk of becoming homeless. It means we can guarantee the quality of the temporary accommodation that we place them in and make sure we comply with the national rule that no household with children is placed in bed and breakfast for more than six weeks.
“Owning our own temporary accommodation gives us a better chance of housing people within Worcester, rather than having to find temporary placements for them outside of the city.
“It also means that the Council saves money because we are not paying bed and breakfast bills, as well as providing a better place for those in need to stay.”
The main reasons for households approaching the Council for homelessness assistance are a private rented tenancy coming to an end, family and friends no longer being able to accommodate them, and fleeing domestic abuse.
The City Council’s record on providing temporary accommodation for households with children has improved dramatically thanks to the policy of owning its own buildings.
In March 2023 it had seven families with children who had been in bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than the Government’s six-week limit. Thanks to changes introduced since then, it has not had any families with children stay in B&Bs for longer than the six-week limit since September 2023.
A report to the Policy and Resources Committee set out how the Henwick Road building will be divided into ten individual accommodation units, providing temporary homes to both single people and families with children.
The Council will only go ahead with purchasing the building once planning permission has been secured for changing its use to temporary accommodation.
