With the increase in domestic violence and escalating need for shelter for the vulnerable who may be sleeping rough, Spelthorne Council have invested some of their profits from their housing portfolio to build a be-spoke shelter. The White House (which is not in fact white, nor a house!) is situated next to the new Spelthorne fire station on the borders of Ashford. Laleham and close to Knowle Green.
The idea of the shelter has been around for years and Chief Executive Daniel Mouawad was visibly proud of the achievement in get-ting it built. It finally opened its doors to resi-dents on October 11th.
The facility will provide specialist accommo-dation for single homeless people with multi-ple or complex needs. Generally, these are residents who are not able to access main-stream accommodation options and who would otherwise be placed in ‘bed and break-fast’ accommodation without adequate sup-port, or in the worst cases, sleeping rough.
The development comprises 27 en-suite rooms with shared kitchens, four self-contained studio flats, as well as outside space. It is a very impressive place.
Social housing provider Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH) have been appointed to manage the facility, providing a specialist support service with 24-hour on-site cover and a team who have extensive experience in working with residents to create settled futures.
Good luck to the team running this. Our fortunes may turn quickly and homelessness can happen to anyone.