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Pimlico hostel picks up awards
A Pimlico hostel has won two awards for its work with former rough sleepers.
King George's hostel, in Great Peter Street, won both the award for 'Excellence in meeting the needs of vulnerable people' and the award for 'outstanding achievement in housing in England', at the UK Housing Awards.
Westminster Council funds a number of programmes at the hostel to help former rough sleepers steer clear of drugs and to gain more independence.
Cabinet member for housing Cllr Philippa Roe said: "We are very proud to support King George's Hostel, whose staff carry out excellent work to help rough sleepers access services, training and job opportunities.
"The support at King George's in invaluable, as this is when a vulnerable person is making those key first steps to get their lives back on track."
The UK Housing Awards are delivered by the Chartered Institute of Housing and Inside Housing.
Westminster Council's latest street count shows the number of rough sleepers has decreased by 20 per cent - from 89 to 69 since March this year.
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King George's hostel is run by English Churches Housing Group (ECHG). ECHG specialises in developing innovative support services around the country for people with drink, drugs or mental health problems.
We are overwhelmed by the Double Award Wins. This is because the awards, particularly the Outstanding Achievement Award, are positive recognition of the importance of finding innovative ways of working with very excluded groups like drugs users.
We think it is a very positive step that national housing awards aren't just promoting the work of those who are creating new buildings, but also those, like ECHG, who provide the lifeline services within those buildings that transform people's lives.
www.echg.org.uk