Jim Parker: Changes afoot at homeless hostel - but will this help our town centre?

There is no denying that Torbay's unsuccessful bid for more government cash under its Levelling Up agenda was hugely disappointing.

Hundreds of new jobs would have been created with the £20 million investment in an extension to Brixham’s Fish Quay and Market and the creation of a new Electronics and Photonics Production Park in Paignton.

I am not getting involved in the whys and wherefores of the decision or speculating that politics had anything to do with it - that may be for another day.

One thing is for sure as far as I am concerned - we have to show the decision-makers that we can deliver on these game-changing regeneration projects when we do get our hands on cash from Whitehall and the ministers.

That is why pressure is absolutely mounting to see some tangible movement on schemes enveloped in the £22 million Town Deal funding for Torquay and the £14 million for Paignton from the Future High Streets pot.

The Pavilion, Debenhams site, the Strand, Union Square shopping area and the GPO roundabout are all waiting for the first shovels in the ground to turn around the fortunes of the bottom half of the admittedly sorry-looking high street in Torquay.

But what about the other end of town where the future plans include less shops but more residential and leisure to bring footfall and people back into the Castle Circus area? For some we have created a 'no go' area and 'perfect storm' with a homeless hostel, job centre, drink/drugs rehab unit and what used to be a methadone-prescribing chemist all within a short distance of each other. Vulnerable people who also absolutely need society's help naturally gather there. It can be an unpleasant and intimidating environment.

Torbay Council have been awarded more than £1 million under the Government's Safer Streets scheme to help tackle some of the Castle Circus anti-social behaviour problems so expect to see more CCTV cameras and police presence etc.

Things are also changing at the Leonard Stocks hostel for the homeless in Factory Row.

Before I go on, I must emphasise that I am not laying all the Castle Circus issues at the front door of the hostel or the people it helps. The hostel does a brilliant job helping people with hugely complex needs. But the way it is to be managed in the future can only help all concerned.

The contract to run the facility is being taken back in house by the Town Hall after being in the hands of the Shekinah homeless charity for several years.

Council leader Steve Darling says: "We are taking back control of the hostel. We are taking back management control and then ownership in due course."

He added: "We see the change as an opportunity - Shekinah haven't done a  bad job."

The centre was always meant to provide temporary accommodation for people before finding a more permanent home for them. For a variety of reasons this appears not to have happened so some have stayed longer, becoming regular faces.

Cllr Darling says: "This means we can more driven and do a lot more helping people and moving them on. There has been a history where some people have stayed longer than they should rather than there being a revolving door. The most crucial thing is helping people with their problems and helping them to move on."

It is understood that there is a decent cash surplus from running the hostel. Some of that money will now help restore the services some of these people need to help them on the road to recovery and out of the hostel.

"Under mayor Gordon Oliver there was a complete decimation of services in the supporting people's budget," said Cllr Darling. "The building also needs significant investment to get it up to standard."

Nick Pannell, chairman of the Friends of Factory Row, a registered charity which for the last 30 years has supported a variety of homelessness projects including the Leonard Stocks centre, said: "I have no issues with the council as long as it maintains the good management that Shekinah have provided. Shekinah have done a good job with managing the hostel over the past ten years.

"The future is positive under Torbay Council. This way the council may release more money for the front line and an increase staff training. We do need to create more of a throughput for people. This is what happens in a place like Torbay which has one of the lowest percentages of social housing in the country - only eight per cent of rented accommodation is social sector. The rest is private landlords. For people leaving the hostel they just cannot afford the rents."

Mr Pannell is and always been a staunch advocate and supporter of the hostel.

He says: "The hostel comes in for a lot of criticism that is not the fault of the hostel. It is a well-run 24-hour operation. Torquay town centre would be a lot worse without the hostel. The agencies including the police believe that the hostel does a good job under difficult circumstances. It is well run. There is incredibly good staff there."

He insisted: "The mistake that people make is that if we were to close the hostel all the anti-social behaviour would disappear. That is not going to happen. The issue of drugs and alcohol is as a result of the social problems that we have in Torquay. The reason we have problems is because Torquay town centre sits in areas of high deprivation that surround it.

"If the hostel was not there you would still see drugs and alcohol and people with mental health problems. It has never been this bad because we have never had such bad economic problems. Empty shops unfold as you go up the hill.  If the town centre was thriving with shops the visual impact of homeless people and people asking for money would be reduced."

He says Torquay was once described to him as 'Devon's inner city' which he describes as 'inciteful'.

He says there should be no place in society for the 'social cleansing' of our town centres 'just to make them prettier'.

Mr Pannell says: "It is where people gather. It is where people have social contact. It has always been like that. People have a right to gather where they choose."

He adds: "We do need for the hostel to work in partnership with the police and other agencies to reduce anti-social behaviour. But Torbay councillors and officers recognise the good work the hostel does. I think the hostel will always be looking after highly vulnerable people. It will continue to do good work and is looking forward to working in partnership with the council and other agencies and if there are any problems in which the hostel is implicated to iron them out and help solve them."

The change in managing the centre is timely. Only time will tell if this helps the overall Castle Circus situation.

But one thing we don't have on our side is time. Now is the time!