Salvation Army to open hostel next to Caludon Castle School

[dutchman]

The Salvation Army is to open accommodation for homeless people beside a Coventry secondary school.



Axholme House, beside Caludon Castle School, will be a temporary home for up to 32 men and women at a time.

These will be people who have had help from the Salvation Army are almost ready to move into a home of their own.

The hostel is expected to open next month.

Senior staff at Caludon Castle School in Axholme Road, Wyken, have invited parents to a meeting.

The meeting will be led by Coventry City Council and the Salvation Army to explain the plans.

Head Michele Marr has written to parents listing the measures to be taken to keep pupils safe.

They include risk assessments before people move in, CCTV in and outside the building, qualified and experienced staff and a policy of evicting residents who may behave in an anti social way.

There will also be extra police patrols.

Parent Sam Dale, who has a 13-year-old daughter at the school said: “While I am supportive of this type of venture I personally feel that a site directly opposite school gates and very close to shops where there are a lot of children (and elderly people) is asking for trouble and leaving our children very vulnerable.”

Nathan Slinn, regional homelessness manager for The Salvation Army, said: “We work in partnership with Coventry Council to support people in Coventry experiencing homelessness as they get back on their feet.

“In order to do this we host a number of projects across the city.

“As experienced providers of homelessness services, we carefully select locations to ensure that our services are appropriate for the local area.

“ We aim to ensure our residents are part of their community and we welcome regular discussions and meetings with the local residents and authorities.

“We also conduct comprehensive safety assessments with our residents to ensure they are ready for their next step.

“We firmly believe the additional measures we have put in place, such as qualified staff working with clients, installing CCTV and working closely with the community authorities, will minimise any potential antisocial behaviour.”