Residents of Pan and Barton have been praised for their support by the leader of the Isle of Wight Council after a new homeless shelter and recovery service was opened at the former Barton Primary School.
It follows multiple objections from residents across the Island for 2 other proposed hostels on the council’s homeless pathway, which in 1 case led to plans being scrapped.
Speaking at the full meeting of the Isle of Wight Council on Wednesday, Councillor Lora Peacey-Wilcox said she paid tribute to the residents near the school, now Howard House, for their agreement to the shelter, which opened earlier this month.
Howard House has the capacity to start the rehabilitation process for 17 homeless people.
Cllr Peacey-Wilcox also thanked Councillor Geoff Brodie for his hard work before the shelter opened, to ensure the community was comfortable and accepting of the hub.
Cllr Brodie questioned at the cabinet meeting last week whether the council’s lead on adult social care Councillor Karl Love would agree it was imperative and important that the provision of facilities to address the needs of homeless people required the approval of local residents. He said:
“Residents like mine did not object to the facility in any way, unlike so many other parts of the Island where house of multiple occupancies (HMOs) for homeless people are opposed so vehemently.”
Cllr Love said opening any provision needed the support of the community and also commended residents for engaging and bringing Howard House.
Other proposals for homeless hostels, in west Newport and Sandown had – understandably – been met with hostility from neighbours. Two Saints, a partner with the council to provide the homeless pathway, put plans forward to turn 2 B&Bs into HMOs for those already on their homelessness recovery and ready to live independently.
On Leed Street, Sandown, plans for the former Hendre B&B were submitted but withdrawn after local resistance saw more than 30 comments and 2 petitions signed by nearly 160 people objecting to the change. Residents said they were already “blighted by HMOs” in the area, “sick of the trouble they cause” and “would not feel safe” having the tenants on their doorstep.
Now, council documents reveal the backlash caused the seller of B&B to withdraw their agreement to sell to Two Saints, ending the application.
The documents say there is a lack of suitable and affordable properties for purchase on the Island and should that continue, the pathway would be significantly compromised and there would be an increase in homelessness.
Permission was given to the former Castle Lodge guest house in Newport to be converted into a HMO despite more than 60 objections, a petition and the application called in by the former local councillor, John Hobart.
It was given a 3-year trial after councillors queried the lack of engagement with residents that had left people able to speculate when myth-busting could have been done.
Like attracts like. The do gooders constantly trying to put disparate types of people all living together in one great big melting pot just does not work. And it seems the only people ‘allowed’ to suffer from mental health problems are the antisocial types, druggies, alkies etc, People who just want a quiet peaceful existence but who suffer greatly from having rough people move in all around them are just classed as “intolerant” or “snobbish”. At least this hostel is in a more suitable location, in that there are likely going to be more like minded people. Look at the disaster the Salvation Hostel in Ryde has turned out to be.
“Telling it like it is” – aka crass bigotry.
Tell that to the inverted snobs who look down their noses at anyone who just wants to live in peace and not have to put up with shouting and swearing all around them, and rubbish strewn everywhere and aggressive behaviour and constant noise, at all hours. It is extremely alarming, especially for sensitive quiet people, but the do gooders expect everyone to put up with that sort of behavior by putting the people who cause it all among the community and if they don’t like it, let them move. That is the reality for many. And if anyone is bigoted, it’s loud antisocial types who hate anyone not like themselves. Anyone wanting to defend them, should try living near them for a while.
Face the truth, nice people do not want scum on their doorsteps.
successful people naturally separate themselves from failures – that is the law of nature. Succesful and strong survive. Fact of life.
Amongst those ‘scum’ will be a handful of good people who need help through no fault of their own and who don’t cause anyone any problem. If you think all homeless people are ‘scum’ you need a brain transplant and hope to your god that you never find yourself in the same situation. Idiots.
I grew up in more deprived circumstances than many of these people could ever imagine. No support, no care, extremely harsh childhood, not a ‘loving’ family. I could have gone down the drink & drugs route, but *chose* not to. Doesn’t mean I’m ‘privileged’ , it just means I made different choices & didn’t want my problems to be even worse. Some people just have it in them to be more conscientious and others just want to doss around & have ‘good’ times. I like to think that not *all* homeless people have drug & alcohol ‘problems’ & would feel for one who didn’t, but they always seem to be abusers of some substances or other.
exactly – and why should those who have worked hard, saved up a lot of cash, seen the benefits of their hard work come to fruition, be expected to continue to be surrounded, by deadbeats, layabouts, no hopers, sad cases, sc umbags and all the other failures, that cannot be bothered to put the same effort into their own lives and expect to live off the backs of others.
this is why successful people move away from failures – as the failures are always begging for cash and jealous.