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Homeless hostel to become residential housing

Richard Madden
BBC News
BBC Two large tower blocks made of red bricks, blue cladding and grey panels stand behind a metal fence. The lower doors and windows are covered with metal sheeting. A sign next to the gate reads 'Road closed'.BBC
William Booth House in Hull has been vacant since the Salvation Army decommissioned it in April 2023

A former homeless hostel will be brought back into "full residential use", Hull City Council has confirmed.

William Booth House was bought by the authority for £1 in February last year after it was decommissioned by the Salvation Army in April 2023.

The council said it was preparing a grant funding application to Homes England to create affordable housing and hoped to start the project early next year.

A spokesperson for the authority said the proposal would "help address Hull's housing needs".

Overgrown grass and shrubs surround a red brick building. A window is visible and it has white bars behind it. A large metal sheet has been propped against a wall in the centre of the image and two other windows on the right have been boarded over.
Hull City Council, which bought the building for £1, says it hopes to bring it back into residential use

The building, on Hessle Road, was previously used to provide supported accommodation for people suffering homelessness and trauma but has remained mostly empty since the charity stopped running it.

The site is currently surrounded by fencing, with overgrown grass and the windows covered with metal sheeting. Construction work on the A63 Castle Street project is taking place a short distance away.

The council said it hoped to submit funding applications to a number of organisations "over the course of the coming months".

A red brick tower block stands behind a wall covered in overgrown shrubs. The pavement has also been covered in overgrown plants. A blue car is visible on the right of the image and is driving away from the building.
The council said people living in the surrounding area would be fully consulted over any future plan for the building

A spokesperson said: "We are preparing to submit a grant funding application to bring the building back into full residential use, which will help address Hull's housing needs.

"Without such grants it is not often possible to bring affordable housing development forward."

The authority also said the current rough sleeping provision is a "temporary solution while the site is not in full use" and it would be working with external agencies when the provision is decommissioned.

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