Council approves housing for homeless in Scarborough following spike in demand during Covid-19

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Scenesetter
Kealia Court on Wooler Street
Picture by Neil Silk
04/09/14 — 143618a Scenesetter Kealia Court on Wooler Street Picture by Neil Silk 04/09/14

The borough council’s cabinet yesterday (Tuesday) approved the signing of an agreement with the York Housing Association for the properties. The deal is described by the authority as a “refresh” of its homeless provision to bring five existing contracts into one. The five-year deal includes an existing agreement to pay York Housing Association a revenue grant of £56,000 a year toward the management costs associated with the provision of services at Kealia Court in Wooler Street, Scarborough. A report prepared for the cabinet states that to provide the same level of accommodation using the private sector, including private landlords, guest houses and bed and breakfasts, would cost the council more than £670,000 a year. Twenty-four of the 46 units are in Kealia Court with a further 16 units over blocks in Scarborough town. The agreement also includes for the first time a further six units of accommodation at the council’s former homeless hostel at Newburn House in Alma Square. Cabinet member for stronger communities and housing Cllr Carl Maw told the meeting that there had been an increase in homelessness and rough sleeping due to the pandemic. Council figures show that at the end of April, 100 households were in temporary accommodation, necessitating the “block booking” of hotels due to an “unprecedented” increase in demand, according to the cabinet report. Cllr Maw said that in the previous year the council had on average 55 households in temporary accommodation. Council leader Cllr Steve Siddons welcomed the news that the future of the accommodation had been secured following a decision by North Yorkshire County Council last year to cut its funding for housing-related support for homeless people by 40%, which put the provision in the borough under threat. He said: “I can remember this really well, it was one of the first things that I had to respond to after I became leader and I was not very happy with the county council’s approach to this so I am pleased that we have been able to recover that in the way that we have.”