§ Mr. Charles Irvingasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what specific financial, administrative and policy arrangements he has been able to make in consultation with the Housing Corporation to assist and encourage the "hostels initiative" through registered housing associations he announced in September 1980.
§ Mr. StanleyThe measures that form part of the Government's initiative both to improve standards in existing hostels and to provide new hostel bed spaces are as follows:
1. The double scrutiny of housing association hostel projects by the Department and the Housing Corporation for housing association grant purposes has been replaced by single scrutiny in most cases by the Housing Corporation only. This has simplified procedures and enables housing associations to secure quicker approval of their projects.
2. The special projects promotion allowance has been increased from £1,380 to £1,655 in the provinces and from £1,885 to £2,730 in London. This allowance is paid for schemes where housing associations work in conjuncion with other organisations which have expertise in providing for people with special needs.
3. The warden's cost element of the hostel management allowance has been increased from £3,150 to £3,710 per hostel—or from £180 to £205 per bed space, for hostels of 18 or more bed spaces. This allowance is to pay for the housing management element of a warden's time.
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Housing Corporation Region Association Location Group Bed spaces approved West Devon and Cornwall 15–17 Castle Road, Torquay Ex Psychiatrics 12 Devon and Cornwall Market Fields, Kingsbridge Mentally handicapped 12 West Country 197 St. Marychurch, Torquay Ex offenders and single people at risk 12 Knightstone 11 Arley Hill, Bristol 12 Devon Community 1 Leypark Close 3 Thamesdown 33 Heydon Street 3 Avondown Kensington Road, Bristol Lonely single people 9 Knightstone 84 Severn Road, Weston Super Mare 10 Thames Valley 2 Kingsgate Street, Reading 4 Stonham Walpole Road Boscombe 12 Stonham 16 Penventon Terrace, Redruth 4 Guideposts 38 College Glen, Maidenhead 4 Devon Community 19 Litchdown Street, Barnstaple 14 Fountain 44–45 Riverside Street, Bath Mentally handicapped 11 Stonham 60 Lake Street, Oxford Ex-offender 14 North East South Yorkshire Sheffield Homeless men 12 Stonham 52 Westbourne Avenue, Hull Ex-offenders 23 Ridings 26 Roundhay Grove, Leeds 4 North British 7 Belgrave Terrace, South Shields Single homeless 12 Joseph Rowntree Hartingdon Road, Rydale Mentally handicapped 16 Leeds Federated 28 Hanover Square, Leeds Ex-offenders 7 East Midlands Guideposts Mansfield 6 4. All hostel furniture not owned by residents themselves has now been made eligible for housing association grant. The amount of grant will be up to £80 per bed space or £190 per bed space according to whether the hostel caters for short stay or long stay residents. The grant for furniture in communal areas has also been increased from £27 to £38 per square metre and extended to all types of hostel.
5. A new system for determining hostel deficit grant is being introduced. this will provide better financial control, reduce administrative effort and give housing associations greater assurance about the grant they can expect.
6. Housing association grant has been extended to include the cost of lifts in newly built hostels of two storeys or more for the elderly and the handicapped.
7. The space standard for single elderly persons in hostels has been increased from 13 to 17½ square metres permitting the elderly to have a separate bedroom and living room instead of a bed-sitter.
8. The Housing Act 1980 extended rent allowances for the first time to many of those living in hostels, and the ceiling for rent allowances has been revised from £10 outside London and £13 in London in May 1979 to £30 and £35 respectively today.
9. The Housing Act 1980 provided for grants to be made of up to £9,000 in London and £6,750 elsewhere to help to provide means of escape from fire in hostels.
10. An order has also been laid before Parliament which will make it mandatory for local authorities to satisfy themselves that hostels and other houses in multiple occupation specified in the order have adequate means of escape from fire. The order will apply to all hostels of three storeys or more—excluding basements—having a total floor area of more than 500 square metres.
11. In anticipation of the closure of Camberwell resettlement unit in 1985 my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security and I have agreed a division of both capital and revenue funding, including "topping up", between our Departments that will provide 985 hostel bed spaces in London. These arrangements for replacing Camberwell have been set out today by my hon. Friend in answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Anglesey (Mr. Best).
12. In 1981–82 a specific allocation was given to the Housing Corporation for the first time for hostel provision totalling £12 million. I understand from the corporation that it has approved the following hostels schemes so far in this financial year; where the scheme is for a special needs group, that group is indicated:
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Region Association Location Group Bed spaces approved Shaftesbury Lincoln Physically handicapped 16 Walbrook 33–37 Harrington Single homeless 13 West Midlands Hereford Diocesan The Haven, Hereford Single working women 18 North West Stonham 70 Preston New Road, Blackburn Ex-offenders 6 North British Preston 5 North British Preston 5 North British Preston 7 Stonham 1 Southport Road, Chorley Young and single homeless 9 Victoria Park 34 Longfield Place 6 Selcare 66 Bond Street, Leigh Ex-offenders 8 Windmill 84 Bela Grove, Blackpool 5 48 Exchange Street, Blackpool 5 Merseyside Merseyside Improved Homes (MIH) Birkenhead Ex-offenders 4 MIH 155 Rodney Street, Birkenhead 4 MIH 2 Wycliff Road, Rock Ferry 4 MIH 36 Patton Street, Birkenhead 3 MIH Rockville Street, Rock Ferry 7 MIH 13 Park Road East, Birkenhead 7 MIH 183 Bedford Road, Rock Ferry 5 London and Home Counties North Brent Peoples 23 Bravington Road 8 Brent Peoples 105 Bravington Road 6 Richmond Churches 333 Hamworth Road, Hounslow 7 Peter Bedford 17–31 Clissold Road 60 Circle 33 517–519 Holloway Road 19 Salvation Army Riverside House Single homeless 109 Salvation Army Grieg house Ex-alcoholics 17 Salvation Army Booth House Single homeless 255 Brent Peoples 129 Portnall Road 6 Circle 33 109 Southampton Row 30 Circlr 33 50 Tufnall Park Road 7 Circle 33 525–527 Holloway Road Young single homeless 43 Notting Hill Trust 16–18 Culmington Road, W13 18 Ealing Family Tara House, Ealing Older single homeless 15 Circle 33 76 Chetwynd Road 14 Circle 33 34 Charlton Kings Road 5 St. Pancras 54 Dartmouth Park Hill, NW5 30 Peter Bedford 4 Mercers Road, N19 12 Peter Bedford 27 Kenworthy Road, E9 5 Arneway Co-op 30 Tunley Road, N10 6 Ameway Co-op 43 Buckingham Road, NW10 4 Praetorian Shenley Farm Villa, Herts Ex-psychiatrics 20 Shaftesbury 265 Canden Road, N7 21 Stonham 7 Park Road North, W4 Battered Wives 13 St. Mungo Nightingale House, SW5 Single homeless 80 London and Quadrant 120 Stapleton Hall Road, N4 7 Community 42 Mornington Crescent 9 Community 25–26 Alma Street, NW5 11 London and Home Counties South Guideposts 94 Grenfell Road 3 Christian Alliance 32 Epsom Road Single persons 38 Selcha 92 Camberwell Road 7 Selcha 36 Chadwick Road 6 Selcha 122 Dalyell Road 6 Stonham 32 Victoria Park Mentally handicapped 10 Richmond UT 7 Station Road Lonely single people 6 Solon 97 Tierney Road, Lambeth 10 Selcha 122 Bellinham Road 4 Selcha 19 Sears Street 6 Stonham 152–186 McKenzie Road 18 Stonham Basle Court, SW2 Refugees 30 London and Quadrant 101 Shakespere Road 5 Croydon Churches 98–100 Lodge Road, Croydon Single homeless 15 South London Family 88 Wolfingdon Road, SE27 9 Solon 85 Upper Tulse Hill, SW2 Children out of care 9 Metropolitan HT 39–43 Bellfields Road, SW9 Black Youth 15
Region Association Location Group Bed spaces approved Selcha 313 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 Single homeless men 8 Total bed spaces 1,395