Gloucester City Homes (GCH) has been shortlisted in the national Homeless Link Excellence Awards, for its four new schemes which have created 37 homes for former-rough sleepers and those at-risk of rough sleeping in Gloucester.

The award category is 'Home Safe' which focuses upon the role of accessible and affordable housing in preventing and resolving homelessness. This accolade is said to recognise high quality, affordable accommodation options for individuals or couples experiencing rough sleeping or homelessness.

In response to the governments 'Everyone In' scheme at the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, GCH worked closely with the local authority and members of the Gloucestershire Housing Partnership to identify the accommodation needed locally.

Funding from the local authority and Government's Next Steps Accommodation Program totalling £1.7million enabled GCH to deliver 37 new units of self-contained accommodation across four previously derelict buildings.

Natalie Thelwell, head of Housing at GCH said: "The new homeless accommodation schemes that we launched in 2021 and 2022 demonstrate GCH's commitment to providing sustainable pathways into permanent housing through the provision of high-quality longer-term housing alongside individual support packages.

"The self-contained flats offer an alternative to B&B accommodation, providing safe and secure homes where people can start to rebuild their lives with specialist support."

Guy Stenson, chief executive at GCH added: "We are really pleased to have our work recognised in these prestigious awards. Already we can see the huge impact that the homes have had on many local people and we hope these projects lead the way for other projects across the County and further."

For more information about Gloucester City Homes, please visit https://www.gch.co.uk, call 01452 424344 or email customer.experience@gch.co.uk.