A £2.2m refurbishment to transform flats for homeless people in the wake of Covid-19 are currently underway.
Housing group Torus has announced it is redeveloping three flat blocks in Peasley Cross, St Helens, with the project transforming the properties off Appleton Road into much needed supported housing.
Torus said that over the years, the properties have "proved increasingly difficult to let" and that between March 2020 and 2021, Torus rehoused 752 people deemed homeless across St Helens, Warrington and Liverpool.
With a view to tackling homelessness and rough sleeping in the borough, two of the blocks, Stables Court and Frontfield Court, are being refurbished into Champions Court, providing 28 quality homes.
Working together, Torus and St Helens Council are committed to supporting those people by providing a place to call home, together with tailored support from The Salvation Army to help them retain that home.
St Helens Council said Champions Court will grant the time and space needed to "affect real change" for vulnerable people but also bring back into use housing that had "sadly deteriorated" and become the focus of vandalism and antisocial behaviour.
The 28 quality homes will have 24-hour support team on-site for people who have been assessed as able to live independently and who might otherwise be at risk of returning to the streets.
Along with a high standard of accommodation, tenants will also benefit and the garden space provided as part of the development, with homes allocated to either current or former rough sleepers.
Torus Service Lead for Allocations, Lisa O’Connell, said: "Torus has worked with all the local authorities, including St Helens Council to support homeless people throughout the pandemic. The team has helped people to overcome numerous barriers including getting on-line to complete housing applications.
"In St Helens we have worked closely with the Council, meeting regularly to monitor the number of homelessness cases and identify opportunities to help support people who have found themselves homeless.
"Schemes like this one on Appleton Road will make a huge difference to people’s lives. Of the 752 people rehoused across the three heartlands, 273 have been from St Helens."
Funding for this project was provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
A third flat block on the same site, Stadium View, formerly Cross Meadow Court, is being refurbished to provide 14 assisted accommodation units for people who have experienced issues with their mental health who are now ready to live independently with access to 24-hour support.
Stadium View will also offer two crisis beds in partnership with the local authority. The £800k investment to remodel Cross Meadow Court includes £60k contribution from St Helens Council and NHS St Helens Clinical Commissioning Group.
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Tanya Wilcock, Director of Communities for St Helens Borough Council, said: "This brand-new scheme, in part funded by a successful partnership bid with Torus to the Government’s Next Steps Accommodation Programme worth £1m, will fundamentally change the provision for rough sleepers in our borough for the better.
“Champions Court will grant us the time and space we need to affect real change for these vulnerable people, enabling individuals to access crucial services that can support their transition into longer term housing and sustain stable tenancies into the future.
“Not only that, but it will also bring back into use housing that had sadly deteriorated and become the focus of vandalism and antisocial behaviour. This new scheme will provide much needed housing options for our residents and will also include round the clock security and support on site.”
The flat blocks will also benefit from 24-hour security and will be fully staffed with an on-site team who will be able to respond to people who are experiencing a mental health crisis.
Residents will also be intensively supported until they are ready to move into a home they can sustain on their own.
Torus Chief Executive, Steve Coffey said: "One of our driving priorities is to invest in and grow stronger communities and, right now, providing people with a safe and secure place to call home has never been more important.
"But the remodelling of the site is about more than just putting a home over someone’s head. We’ll also be offering intensive support to help residents sustain their home and improve their lives.
"The pandemic has highlighted real inequalities across the region and we are determined to ensure that no one is left behind.
"However long the pandemic lasts and how many years its impacts are felt, we are committed to lending direct and effective support to our partners, to our tenants and residents and entire communities.”
Experienced construction firm, HMS, has been appointed to remodel all the buildings and the refurbishment will also introduce communal rooms, offices for on-site support, landscaped communal gardens and parking facilities.
A detailed project specification embraces significant internal and external works and includes replacement heating systems, a full re-wire, new bathrooms and kitchens and a modernised, attractively rendered exterior.
Works are anticipated to finish in summer 2021.
