COVENTRY City Council has bought a house on Gulson Road as part of a bid to provide more larger homes for homeless families.
This is part of a commitment by the council to buy 50 homes for around £13million, each providing temporary accommodation with three or more bedrooms for homeless families.
The Gulson Road building was a former House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) but has been refurbished and is now a large temporary family home.
The first phase of the scheme will see 25 homes bought for £6million, bringing initial savings of £176,000 a year.
Latest figures suggest there are around 481 families in temporary accommodation, with 210 in either three or four-bedroom properties.
Council officers have been working with local estate agents to ensure it achieves value for money for any homes it buys.
The council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Coun David Welsh, said the scheme was going to make a positive difference to struggling families as well as neighbourhoods dominated by HMOs.
“We don’t have any families who are homeless in B and B accommodation, and I want to keep it that way.
“This new scheme, to buy and provide larger family homes, will reduce costs, and most importantly improve supply, while at the same time reducing the concentrations of HMOs in the city.”
