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22.08.2008
Gerald Eve’s building consultancy team has completed work on a new male hostel in Liverpool which, together with a complementary female hostel in the city, establishes a new benchmark for homeless accommodation across the country.
The new £2m Direct Access Centre (DAC), which opened last month, provides a modern, open and inviting place for residents, with on-site skills training offered by external agencies. It is a deliberate departure from the institutional ‘prison-type’ environment previously provided and is in line with the Communities and Local Government’s Places of Change initiative, launched in January 2005. This set aside a £90m funding pot for the hostels capital improvement programme.
For the male DAC, Gerald Eve’s Manchester office was appointed as lead building consultants by Enterprise plc and Liverpool City Council. The team prepared the feasibility study, designed the tender documentation, assessed the tenders and managed the administration of the contract.
It is the biggest hostel project on which Gerald Eve has been involved and follows completion of a £1.2m female DAC in October 2007, for which the firm provided similar services. It is also advising on a third DAC in Preston where work on the refurbishment is well under way.
The new-style hostels are designed to provide opportunities that will help people move forward into work and a settled home. To this end, the government is considering similar projects around the UK.
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