Mayor Dave Helps Clarence House Mark One Year of Supporting Vulnerable People in Bedford Borough

Clarence House in Bedford has celebrated its first birthday, marking one year since Mayor Dave Hodgson opened the Complex Needs Unit which provides accommodation and tailored support for some of the most vulnerable rough sleepers locally.

The facility is the first of its kind in Bedford, with specialist accommodation and support services provided in the unit itself. Residents are provided with their own individual, tailored support plan designed to help them stay off the streets and towards a more stable, settled life in a home of their own. The facility is operated by One Housing group, under contract with Bedford Borough Council, and is one of a number of new services and facilities introduced to tackle rough sleeping homelessness in Bedford Borough.

Commenting, Mayor Dave Hodgson said "Clarence House goes beyond just providing shelter for a vulnerable person. This housing scheme focuses on the long-term, supporting individuals with complex needs and helping them to move on from homelessness toward a stable future. Clarence House has helped some of our area's most vulnerable people in the year since it first opened, and it is an incredibly valuable addition to our local services here in Bedford Borough."

Mayor Dave has uploaded some photos from the first birthday event on his Facebook page here, where he added: "Many congratulations to Clarence House on its first birthday celebrations this week. We opened Clarence House a year ago in partnership with One Housing, and since then it's been providing accommodation and much more to some of the most vulnerable people in our community.'

"This complex needs unit helps get rough sleepers off the street and to stay off the street, with individual support plans for residents to help them move towards a more stable, safe and independent future.'

"We know that rough sleeper numbers in Bedford have fallen in recent times, and Clarence House has been a big part of that. But there's a long way to go, and no doubt they will continue to be an important part of that continued effort.'

"In the meantime, birthday congratulations once again to all the residents, staff, volunteers and everyone involved at Clarence House!'

In the latest annual rough sleeper count for Bedford Borough, the number of rough sleepers fell by a third on the previous year.