News
Charity shelves halfway house plan for homeless
A CHARITY helping Maidstone’s homeless has been forced to pull out of a plan to provide short-stay accommodation at a former Maid- stone town centre pub. The charity Homeless Care was hoping to buy the former Cricketers pub (pictured) in Mote Road but has nowwithdrawn its offer after delays in obtaining planning consent made the project unaffordable. The trustees had been negotiating
the purchase of the former pub with the owner for more than a year, dur- ing which time property prices have risen. By the time the necessary planning consentswere obtained for the conversion, the vendor had in- creased the price by 8% – putting it beyond the charity’s budget. But every cloud has a silver lining
and the time lapsemeans Homeless Care is now looking at newways of supporting its clients, which may not necessarily require a “halfway house” such as this. Chairman Mike FitzGerald said:
“It isnowtwo years sincewe started looking for a property and life has changed.
“Instead of providing our clients
with short-term accommodation,we are looking atways of lending them support during the first period of their time living independently and trying to keep them housed. “We are still committed to seeking
the best way of bringing our clients into independent living, but each client has different needs, with sup- port required for varying periods.” Homeless Care says its volunteers,
staff and trustees will continue to concentrate their efforts on helping homeless men and women turn their lives around by assisting them to find accommodation and at the
same time providing basic needs such as hot showers, clean clothes and home-cooked meals. Homeless Care will also offer IT support, so clients can access bene- fits, accommodation and jobs online. MrFitzGerald said: “Our staff will continue to offer support to newly- housed people, but instead of look- ing at a ‘halfway house’ we will be seeking to get our clients housed and focus on keeping them there.” A soup run in 1986 organised by teachers and pupils from Maidstone Girls Grammar School was the be- ginning of what has now become Homeless Care, the town’s leading charity for homeless and vulnerable men and women. Originally Maidstone Christian
Care, it merged with Goodsell House Trust in 2013 to become Homeless Care, the umbrella organ- isation for the Maidstone Day Cen- tre, the community food share scheme Food for Thought, the 10- bed hostel at Goodsell House and Maidstone Christian Care, its link with the churches who continue to help the cause.
downsmail.co.uk Wonderland
theme to fayre BEARSTED Green will be invaded by Mad Hatters, White Rabbits and Queens of Hearts this summer when the Bearsted and Thurnham Carnival and Fayre marks the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’sAdventures in Wonderland. The fayre is on the village green
from 1pm on Saturday, June 27 and promises stalls, rides, arena events and the carnival procession. Anyone who would like to enter
a float or walking group, donate draw prizes or volunteer can con- tact the fayre committee on the Bearsted and Thurnham Carnival Fayre page on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @bearstedfayre.
Tree protected THE owner of a home in Leedswas unable to prevent a sycamore on his land from being given a tree preservation order (TPO). A resident of Foley Oast, Lower
Street, felt the tree was a “non na- tive, invasive species”. However, Maidstone Council felt the tree had a high amenity value and was under threat after a conservation area application to reduce its size. The planning committee unani- mously supported the officer rec- ommendation to issue a TPO.
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