The Sunrise Foyer aims to give 16-25 year olds a place to rebuild their lives, after many have spend time on the streets, and help them find employment.
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00:00Now that we're getting closer to Christmas, many of us are waiting for warm fires,
00:04dinner with family and presents under the tree.
00:06But for some, it's the hardest time of the year.
00:09As the weather gets colder, some have to sleep on the streets
00:12and they're far more vulnerable than usual.
00:14And over the past few years, the number of homeless people in Medway
00:17who have requested help from the council has been increasing.
00:20Today, a new supported accommodation for rough sleepers
00:23was opened at Russell Court in Chatham.
00:25It's called the Sunrise Foyer and according to MHS Homes Group,
00:29its aim is to give younger homeless people somewhere they can keep warm
00:32and shelter from the cold.
00:34The building has a gym, laundry room and lots of green space,
00:37but the real point of it is to give these young people a foundation
00:40where they can reset and begin to rebuild the rest of their lives.
00:44There are also two rooms with mobility fittings in mind.
00:47I spoke to Ashley Hook from the MHS Group about the origins of the project.
00:51This building here was previously a sheltered housing scheme for older people.
00:56It was very much out of date and what we've done is repurposed it
00:59as a foyer for young people aged between 16 and 25.
01:03Typically somebody might be here for about a year
01:06and we really try to have a plan that not just gives them accommodation
01:10but actually really tries to optimise their potential around training and employment
01:15and move forward to an independent adult life.
01:18Ashley also mentioned the scheme was acting as a model
01:21and its success could mean other areas trialling a similar project.
01:25Chief of Chatham and Aylesford, Tris Osborne, confirmed that to be the case.
01:29Yes, so I can say that the Ministry of Local Government is here today.
01:33We've got people who were raised locally as well who are connected
01:37and so they're going to be looking at this project and the success of it
01:40and taking lessons from here and transfer that to other locations as well around the country.
01:45In Medway, requests for help from the homeless increased 42%
01:49according to the council between 2020 and 2023.
01:53That's why I asked the leader of the council, Vince Maple, about the scope of the issue.
01:57Look, we know there's real challenges, not just here in Medway
02:00but across the county and indeed across the country.
02:02It's also about, importantly, supporting vulnerable young people
02:06and again that's where projects like the Sunrise Foyer is going to be at the forefront of that
02:10making sure where we can make those early interventions, put that wraparound support in place.
02:15Although the scheme drew criticism from locals because of its residential location
02:19the project has gone ahead.
02:21Questions will likely be drawn on whether the scheme will be successful
02:24in breaking the cycle of homelessness.
02:26Finn McDermid for KMTV in Chatham.