Homeless flats open in Houghton-le-Spring as region sees 46% rise in rough sleepers

Homelessness charity, Oasis Community Housing, have worked with Sunderland City Council, to open six new independent flats in Houghton-le-Spring for people who are experiencing homelessness

New homes for the homeless have opened in the North East with round-the-clock support for residents because "giving people a roof overhead doesn't fix homelessness".

Local homelessness charity, Oasis Community Housing, have worked with Sunderland City Council, to open six new independent flats in Houghton-le-Spring for people who are experiencing homelessness. Each of the residents will receive tailored 24 hour support from staff with anything from support for trauma to arranging doctors appointments.

It comes as latest figures from the UK Government's Rough sleeping snapshot, published in February 2024, revealed a 46% rise in the number of people sleeping rough across the region on a single night in autumn 2023, compared to the previous year. In total, 89 people were found to be sleeping rough in the North East in 2023, compared to 61 people in 2022.

The North East was the only area to have less than 250 people sleeping rough at the time the data was collected. Every area saw an increase in the number of people sleeping rough.

Martin Reilly, who manages the Houghton-le-Spring project, said: "Giving people a roof overhead doesn't fix homelessness. This new project offers a special fit-for-purpose space where our staff work alongside residents on everything from the basics of attending doctor's appointments to building trust and providing trauma-informed support.

"We have the privilege of helping people when they really need it, so we want to ensure we're delivering the support people really need to live confidently and independently in their own home, when that time comes."

Oasis Community Housing have helped over 1,300 people facing homelessness in the last year. In 2021, the charity opened a six-bed emergency accommodation for people experiencing homelessness. Using a similar approach to the new Houghton-le-Spring scheme, residents in Gateshead receive a robust support plan catered to the individual to help them work towards living independently in permanent housing.

Sunderland City Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Safer Communities, Councillor Kelly Chequer, said: "As a City Council, we are absolutely committed to supporting the vulnerable and for those experiencing homelessness there can be other issues alongside not having their own accommodation.

"The partnership here in Houghton helps to address these matters and support people who can sometimes be among the most vulnerable members of our community. We can now offer a greater range of help and assistance from health and wellbeing, to general welfare and more support to help break the cycle of homelessness."

A number of local and regional businesses including Bowmer + Kirkland, Lovell, Amazon MME2 warehouse, Cushman & Wakefield, Komatsu UK and Newcastle Building Society are donating funds or furniture to make the Houghton-le-Spring flats feel more homely, as well as volunteering to renovate the accommodation's garden spaces.

A team from Houghton-based Lovell Homes volunteered at the homeless project for the day. Phil Jones, Lovell's head of land and partnerships, said: "We're always really passionate about supporting local causes in each of the communities we build in, and Oasis Community Housing is a particularly special cause. That's why we made the decision to partner with them, helping to provide much-needed funding and support the incredible work they do helping those in need and transforming lives across the North East and beyond."

For more information about Oasis Community Housing's work with local people facing homelessness, visit oasiscommunityhousing.org