New emergency accommodation will be provided at Riverside’s Cangle Foyer, a housing and training centre for young people in Haverhill.

The foyer is a supported housing centre for young people aged 16-to 25-years-old. Our services at the centre help young people with support needs related to homelessness, in addition to substance misuse, mental health and relationships.

Planning permission was approved to convert an office area within the building into an emergency bed space, which will provide somewhere to sleep for a young person presenting themselves as homeless, or is rough sleeping, in the Haverhill area.

Dawn Ince, our Team Leader, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer an additional bed space to help us support more vulnerable young people in the town. The accommodation also includes ensuite bathroom facilities. Each young person is able to make use of the facilities for up to six nights. During this time, our support team will work with specialist partner agencies to identify necessary support to help them move onto independent accommodation.”

The bed project, which officially completes today (4 April), was joint funded by Riverside and Suffolk County Council.

According to Homeless Link, nearly half of people living in homelessness services are aged between 16 and 24. We work with young people at the Cangle Foyer to identify support needs as well as training and employment opportunities. We offer an in-house job club as well as boast links with Job Centre Plus, West Suffolk College and the Papworth Trust, plus a programme of activities to help build self-esteem and enable young people to learn new skills ahead of independent living.