'This will change provision for rough sleepers in St Helens'

Torus housing group is currently redeveloping three flat blocks off Appleton Road, Peasley Cross.

The £2.2m project will transform the properties, which over the years have proved increasingly difficult to let, into much needed supported housing.

With a view to tackling homelessness and rough sleeping in the borough, two of the block, Stables Court and Frontfield Court, are being refurbished into Champions Court, providing 28 quality homes with a 24-hour support team on-site for people who have been assessed as able to live independently and who might otherwise be at risk of returning to the streets.

A third flat block on the same site, Stadium View, formerly Cross Meadow Court, is being refurbished to provide 14 assisted accommodation units for people who have experienced issues with their mental health who are now ready to live independently with access to 24-hour support.

The upcoming development at Peasley Cross

Stadium View will also offer two crisis beds in partnership with the local authority. The £800,000 investment to remodel Cross Meadow Court includes a £60,000 contribution from St Helens Council and NHS St Helens Clinical Commissioning Group.

Tanya Wilcock, director of communities for St Helens Borough Council, said: “This new scheme, in part funded by a successful partnership bid with Torus to the Government’s Next Steps Accommodation Programme worth £1m, will fundamentally change the provision for rough sleepers in our borough for the better.

“Champions Court will grant us the time and space we need to affect real change for these vulnerable people, enabling individuals to access crucial services that can support their transition into longer term housing and sustain stable tenancies into the future.

“Not only that, but it will also bring back into use housing that had sadly deteriorated and become the focus of vandalism and antisocial behaviour. This new scheme will provide much needed housing options for our residents and will also include round the clock security and support on site.”

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At the outset of the pandemic hundreds of vulnerable people, across the country, were brought off the streets. Working together, Torus and St Helens Council say they are committed to supporting those people by providing a place to call home, together with tailored support from The Salvation Army to help them retain that home.

Along with a high standard of accommodation, tenants will also benefit and the garden space provided as part of the development, with homes allocated to either current or former rough sleepers.

Funding for this project was provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), who have given the Peasley Cross project a mention in a recent Government release.

Between March 2020 and 2021, Torus rehoused 752 people deemed homeless across St Helens, Warrington and Liverpool.

Torus service lead for allocations, Lisa O’Connell said 273 of these people have been from St Helens.

The upcoming development at Peasley Cross