Vulnerable adults in the borough were given a boost after a massive £300K donation for a new YMCA hostel.

The grant was contributed by the cabinet of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council will be used for the redevelopment of facilities offering much improved supported accommodation for vulnerable adults, replacing the long-standing facility at Peartree Lane in Welwyn Garden City.

The facility will feature 100 self-contained studios along with substantial communal and life-skill development areas. It will also include counselling areas, outside spaces, therapy spaces, a training kitchen and communal living rooms for residents, which are all known to support good mental wellbeing.

WHBC is working in partnership with One YMCA, Hertfordshire County Council and Homes England, in order to support the execution of the project, worth over £14m.

One YMCA and the council’s housing option team work closely together, with a notable percentage of current referrals to the scheme coming from the council.

The team also has emergency provisions in the hostel, delivering part of the council’s commitment to ending rough sleeping locally.

The council’s £300,000 contribution comes from the government’s Better Care Fund.

Cabinet member for housing, Cllr Fiona Thomson, said: “We are extremely pleased to be able to contribute a significant sum to this important project. The proposed hostel will provide a supportive environment for vulnerable people with a range of needs and health circumstances. The aim is to provide a suitable home for a period during which they can be supported to move toward full independent living.”

YMCA chief operating Officer, Mark Turner, added: “We exist as a charity to support everyone in our communities to live life to the full, especially those experiencing multiple disadvantages. Over the last year alone we have supported 1,115 vulnerable individuals to escape homelessness and rough sleeping across Hertfordshire, helping 679 move on positively into their own homes.

“We can only achieve these great outcomes thanks to the amazing joint working across local public and third sector organisations – it’s genuinely superb – and that approach will be key to us being able to now deliver a brand new (and equally amazing) new YMCA Hostel here in Welwyn Garden City.”