Emmanuel House Support Centre, an independent homelessness charity, has submitted plans to Nottingham City Council for change of use for the first and second floors of its premises on Goose Gate.
The scheme includes 20 bedrooms that will provide short-term emergency accommodation for people who find themselves homeless.
The ‘New Vision’ project will have ensuite facilities, food and 24-hour support provided by the charity’s team of trained specialists.
Denis Tully, CEO of Emmanuel House, said:
“Our ambition is to reduce the number of people who are homeless in Nottingham city for the benefit of individual people, the neighbourhood and for the City of Nottingham as a whole.
“The project fits with the city’s strategic plan to tackle homelessness. It will make a significant contribution to year-round emergency respite care.
“We have a new vision for Emmanuel House and for Nottingham’s provision to support some of its most vulnerable people.
“Our purpose as an organisation is to tackle isolation, vulnerability and homelessness within our community. This project is an extension of this mission.”
The project is set to cost the charity £2 million.
If planning is approved, building work will start as soon as the funding is available.
The plans include one-to-one meeting spaces, 24-hour security, common rooms, computer suites, consultation spaces and rooms with disabled access. The project’s second phase will include a ground floor renovation to upgrade the open-access support centre.
Denis added: “Everyday we’re reminded that homelessness can happen to anyone. This provision is for people who are in crisis and have nowhere else to go. They will be provided with support and a platform to access more secure accommodation. It will also make it easier for people who are homeless to get the services they need, such as medical care.
“Emmanuel House is delighted to be making the first step in undertaking this vital and ground-breaking project. Over the past 12 years, the Winter Shelter has provided emergency accommodation for 1621 people, of which 952 were supported in finding long-term accommodation. This on-site provision will continue to offer life-changing support to many more people in the city.”
Emmanuel House has operated a Winter Shelter in community halls around Nottingham since 2006. They have gradually become a key service for homeless people during the coldest months of the year. In March 2020 Emmanuel House’s Winter Shelter moved into a hotel under the Government’s ‘Everybody In’ initiative when the government instructed all local authorities to move all homeless people into single-room accommodation.
Emmanuel House then supported up to 50 people a night. The 24-hour wrap-around support this accommodation model offered proved invaluable. Between 27th March 2020 and 30th June 2021, Emmanuel House provided 14,325 nights’ protection at the hotel for a total of 334 people, who would otherwise have been rough sleeping. Emmanuel House supported 179 of these people into accommodation, an average of 2.73 people a week for 65.5 weeks.
This provision came to an end in 2021, but Covid-19 regulations and restricted numbers meant that a return to previous locations, which utilised a shared-space style shelter, was no longer feasible.
