Gateway is a £3.5 million pound complex-needs homelessness facility in Burnley, developed by The Calico Group and built by Ring Stones Maintenance and Construction.
The scheme is designed to harness Calico’s combined expertise in healthcare, support, housing and employability; offering the most vulnerable people a full end-to-end, multi-agency homelessness service under one roof.
Gateway provides not only a safe space to rebuild people’s lives, but also tailored support for the widest range of complex needs to improve their long-term health and wellbeing.
In total, there are 30 fully-furnished en-suite rooms, four of which are direct access disabled rooms; all providing a stable and safe setting offering privacy and dignity to residents. The living environment is dynamic, vibrant and engaging; giving people the motivation, support and skills they need to enable change.
Multi-functional communal areas and meeting rooms are used for group therapy, counselling or confidence-building, and training residents with invaluable life skills which include cooking and employability.
Support is delivered by specialist staff, equipped to support the additional complex needs that are often a root cause of homelessness but prevent access to many traditional shelters or hostels. These include: health services, domestic abuse support, drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services.
Kate Cunliffe, Homelessness Services Manager, said: “Gateway is an amazing place and will offer so many people the opportunity to better their lives in a safe, secure and specialist environment.
“The Calico Group has come together every step of the way, from a joint tender, to building the facility and recruiting internally for people who have valuable experience and knowledge in supporting vulnerable individuals from all walks of life.”
The first residents at Gateway were transferred from the Group’s previous homeless facility in September, as this was no longer suitable for accommodation purposes. All new residents will be referred through local district councils across Lancashire.
The support service within Gateway has been commissioned by Lancashire County Council following a competitive tendering process. LCC previously commissioned Calico’s homelessness service at the Elizabeth Street Project nearby.
County Councillor Shaun Turner, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “Gateway is a fantastic new service. It will make a huge difference by helping vulnerable and homeless people get back on their feet.
“One of our key priorities is to support people to improve their health and prevent things reaching crisis point.
“The service that Calico provides at Gateway will ensure people get the support they need at an early stage. It will mean they are less likely to rely on health and social care and can stay well.
“Calico decided to develop Gateway at the same time that Lancashire County Council was considering how it could improve support to the most vulnerable people in our community in the east of the county.
“It was perfect timing really. Everything came together as a result of our shared priorities. We see this as part of our on-going very fruitful relationship with a very pro-active partner.
The building was developed by Ring Stones Maintenance and Construction, a Calico Group Service, who purpose-built the facility using the original stone from the previous Mitre Pub, which was demolished by hand. The build took 75 weeks in total, the core structure comprises of a steel frame work that could, if necessary, be altered in order to adjust the building as the service develops.
James Macaree, Assistant Managing Director for Ring Stones, said: “It was a pleasure to work on the Gateway facility and it’s great to know it’s in a prime location in Burnley that will help and support a lot of people across the region.”
For more information please visit; www.syncora.org.uk/gateway, www.ringstones.co.uk and www.calico.org.uk
