Finding Replacement Shelter Proving Difficult

Housing and Communities Board chair Chris Thomas MHK has said finding a replacement for Graih’s night shelter has ‘proved challenging’.

Mr Thomas, who is also the DoI Minister, was asked what progress has been made since Graih’s closure by Speaker Juan Watterson.

Since Graih closed on September 30, Broadway Baptist Church has continued operating its day centre six days a week, but finding an organisation to deliver an interim service has not yet been as successful.

Mr Thomas said: ‘Government is in dialogue with interested parties, but it is proving difficult to find trained and experienced staff who are competent and confident in supporting the vulnerable people who require the use of an emergency shelter. This has delayed the recommencement of this service.

‘The accommodation to provide the emergency night shelter at Broadway Church was not ideal to house vulnerable people. A new night shelter should, at a minimum, provide camping style beds with essential bedding, toilets, wash-up basins, kitchen and laundry facilities.’

The Douglas Central MHK said that a new night shelter providing just five beds needs at least two professional support workers on duty during opening hours. He added that these workers would ‘ideally’ be trained and experienced in supporting people with a variety of difficulties.

Mr Thomas also said that his Housing and Communities Board is working to accelerate the commissioning of a long-term emergency shelter service, ‘something which it had originally set out to achieve in its Action Plan by end-March 2023, in case an interim or short term solution is not feasible’.

He added: ‘The Department of Infrastructure is also considering how a greater degree of government involvement in this provision might be possible and beneficial.’

The Housing and Communities Board’s published Action Plan commits to the following:

Outcome

Commissioned provision of emergency night shelter and ‘Housing First’ supported living arrangements, including facilitation of stepped approach to social housing
Actions

– Secure existing Emergency Night Shelter service for 12 months by June 2022* (*The Housing and Communities Board committed £119,000 for the emergency night service to continue into 2023.)
– Design Emergency Shelter and Housing First pathway by August 2022
– Strategic review and needs analysis of homelessness by October 2022
– Commission services aligned to Emergency Shelter pathway by March 2023 – Commission Housing First pathway by March 2023