Islington Council opens new scheme to help people sleeping rough

Formerly a care home owned by the NHS, the building in Stacey Street, Finsbury Park, has been transformed to provide a welcoming environment where people have the space and time they need to change their lives for the better.

The scheme can accommodate 30 people in individual rooms. The site also features new, homely communal areas, with a garden and lounges to ensure people staying there have the facilities they need for a good quality of life.

There is a women-only space with separate communal facilities, which is a vital facility for women who have experienced homelessness, who too often are forced into homelessness through domestic abuse.

On the ground floor, there are state-of-the-art facilities for wheelchair users, including an adjustable sink and hob, self-opening doors and a fully-accessible wet room.

Round-the-clock support will be provided by Single Homeless Project, a London-wide homelessness charity, as part of comprehensive support for some of the borough’s most vulnerable residents.

People are offered a place at the scheme through a referral from the council’s homeless outreach teams. The site was purchased by the council with funds administered by the Greater London Authority on behalf of the Government.

Cllr Una O’Halloran, Executive Member for Homes and Communities, said: “We’re determined to ensure that each and every person in Islington has a place to live that is secure, decent and genuinely affordable.

“This scheme will transform the lives of people who otherwise might be sleeping outside or in other dangerous situations.

“We are taking an early intervention approach by getting people into housing first and then helping them to get the support they need and deserve, so that we can help them to feel the benefits of this scheme for years to come.”

Jeremy Nicholas, Assistant Director at Single Homeless Project, said: “We are delighted to be managing the service at Stacey Street, and to have had the invaluable opportunity to set the service up jointly with the local community and Islington Council.

“The service is very much needed and will provide really high-quality accommodation for some of Islington’s most disadvantaged residents. We believe that homelessness doesn’t define you. It is an experience, not a forever and it can be ended with the right solutions.

“The building has been designed to offer space for highly personalised support and will be able to host a wide range of therapeutic activities. We look forward to welcoming our first residents, and to building on our strong links within the local community.”

Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development, added: “Helping people who are sleeping rough off the streets is one of Sadiq Khan’s top priorities as Mayor of London.

“I want to congratulate Islington Council on delivering this vital new housing scheme, supported with City Hall funding, which will help to transform the lives of some of the most vulnerable Londoners.”

Services will be tailored to the needs of the people living at the hub.

Notes to Editors

Single Homeless Project is a London-wide charity. Every year, the charity helps over 10,000 Londoners to leave homelessness behind, to be seen, to be heard, and find a place to call home.

Single Homeless Project help single Londoners by preventing homelessness, providing support and accommodation, promoting wellbeing, enhancing opportunity, and being a voice for change. From supporting people in crisis to helping people take the final steps towards independence and employment, they make a difference to 10,000 lives every year across all 32 boroughs.