Hostel a pathway from homelessness (From Western Telegraph)

Hostel a pathway from homelessness

1:00pm Saturday 11th August 2012 in News

A local lettings agency, which aims to stamp out homelessness in Pembrokeshire, is to launch the county’s first ever direct access hostel.

After securing funding, Pathway Lettings is to set up a hostel, targeting those who are unable to secure county council housing.

Pathway Lettings co-ordinator Cathy Lawrence said: “Everyone who applies for housing has to meet the council’s criteria. And the council can deem someone a priority, for example a single mum. As long as they tick the council’s boxes, they can have access to a hostel.

“But many homeless people, if they are over 18 years old, single, and don’t have any children, have nowhere to go.”

“The direct access hostel aims to change that”, said Cathy.

She added: “It can be someone who has been though difficulties in the past, and no longer ticks the council’s boxes, or someone who has lost previous tenancies.

“It is important to see if they can hold down a hostel accommodation, and pay rent on time, before moving back into the private sector or social housing.”

And after developing into a social lettings agency two years ago, the Pathway team hope to use the profits to help fund the direct access hostel in the long-term.

The agency, funded by the Welsh Assembly , Lloyds TSB and Pembrokeshire County Council, helped 600 single people with housing advice and issued 260 lettings last year.