Accommodation centre to help people with alcohol addictions approved

Rhiannon James, local democracy reporter

A “wet” accommodation centre aiming to help people with alcohol addictions is to be set up in Caerphilly County Borough.

This form of accommodation would have 24-hour staff provision and would allow residents to continue to drink alcohol but with the support from staff to reduce, control or to stop.

It is part of the council’s strategy to prevent and address homelessness through a rapid re-housing approach.

The Welsh Government requires all local authorities to develop a Housing Support Programme (HSP) strategy every four years, with Caerphilly’s presented to the cabinet on Wednesday, March 23.

At the Cabinet meeting, Shelly Jones, Supporting People Manager at the council, said the strategy focused on getting to the bottom of why people need to access these services in the first place.

Priorities

The strategy highlights the council’s main priorities, which include; improving access to accommodation through more affordable housing, increasing early intervention and targeted prevention, and to invest in the workforce.

Around 4,000 people are seeking housing advice or support from the council at any one time, therefore increased staff numbers could help to tackle the issue.

In January 2021, the council reported a 92% increase in the number of referrals in comparison to January 2020.

A needs assessment was undertaken to identify the key priorities for the borough and it found there was a lack of housing, especially supported accommodation.

Additionally, there is a lack of gender specific accommodation for women who have experienced trauma.