New council homes for homeless families

A former sheltered housing scheme has been converted to provide ten new houses for homeless families.

The two-bedroom council homes in Stonehurst Court, Down Terrace, Brighton, will provide much needed temporary accommodation for people while they await a permanent home. 

More council-owned temporary housing is also in the pipeline in Oxford Street, where there are plans to convert a former council housing office into 12 flats, subject to local consultation and planning approval.

Councillor Anne Meadows, chair of the Housing and New Homes Committee, officially opened the houses in Stonehurst Court on Thursday 3 May.

 She said: “These homes will make a real difference to the lives of families who have been made homeless through no fault of their own.

 “With so much pressure on housing in the city, investing in council-owned temporary homes will also help us reduce the amount we spend on renting private accommodation to house people temporarily.”

These new temporary homes are part of a package of measures to tackle the city’s housing crisis. They will be let to households who are homeless where the council has a duty to provide accommodation.

Hundreds of new permanent council homes are being built through New Homes for Neighbourhoods  and a joint venture partnership will provide 1000 affordable homes for people on low incomes in the city to buy or rent.

Work to convert and refurbish Stonehurst Court for temporary housing was designed by the council’s in-house architecture and design team.