Homeless hostel opened in Hither Green

Thursday, 05 November 2009

A SHELTER for the homeless has been officially opened.

The Spring Gardens hostel in Ennersdale Road, Hither Green, is run by the St Mungo’s charity and started taking residents in the summer.

As well as individual rooms – enough to house 40 people at a time – the hostel has a dining room, medical room, IT areas, meeting rooms, a library and a large garden.

Charles Fraser, chief executive of St Mungo’s said: “The building is fresh thinking in hostel design and will provide a supportive and transformational environment for homeless people and those at risk of homelessness.”

Education and training courses will take place in the hostel and St Mungo’s hopes to work with Lewisham College to offer gardening programmes on site.

One of the residents, who gave his name as Lee, 32, from Lewisham, said: “It’s nice here – much better than I thought it would be.

“The staff are good. It’s very clean, you can go on the computers and there’s a lot going on.”

The hostel, which cost £4million, was opened by Lewisham Mayor Sir Steve Bullock on Wednesday last week.

It was paid for using grants from central government agencies and funding from St Mungo’s.

Email: newsdesk@slp.co.uk

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