Thanet Shelter in search for new home as lease for Broadstairs language school site draws to an end

The centre in Broadstairs

The Thanet Shelter, which provides accommodation and services for people who have been sleeping rough, will move from its current site in Broadstairs at the end of this month.

The scheme has been based at the Broadstairs English Centre language school since November 2020 when the covid pandemic meant Public Health guidance restricting shared sleeping spaces ruled out the former method of using different churches in the district.

The language school was also hit by the pandemic with overseas students unable to travel to the UK for courses.

Since then the Shelter has been a 24/7 support hub rather than services only being offered between November and March.

Inside the shelter

The centre in Broadstairs, which has 10 dormitories at its St Peters Park Road base, was leased to Thanet council but this agreement ends on February 28 and students will return to the building.

Thanet council is now looking for an alternative property. The Thanet Shelter scheme has funding in place until March 2025. There are currently eight people at the Broadstairs site. Anyone remaining by the cut-off date will be offered a hotel room.

A Thanet council spokesperson said: “The Thanet Shelter will be housed in its current location until Tuesday 28 February, after which date the building is no longer available.

“We are currently working on alternative options to accommodate the shelter for the rest of the funded period, which runs until March 2025.

“In the meantime, anyone who remains in the shelter after Tuesday 28 February will be provided with hotel accommodation.

Thanet council is happy to consider available properties as it is not planning to return to the church use for the Shelter..

The scheme is run through a partnership including Thanet council, Serveco, the homelessness RISE team, churches and groups such as the Salvation Army Ramsgate.

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6 Comments

  1. Why not have all TDC staff work from home, reporting to an office once per week, then convert the present council offices into sheltered accommodation.

    • I’ve had similar thoughts while passing the council offices. Not exactly realistic but just looking at it makes me think ‘why can’t that thing be used for something useful?’

  2. Yes indeed, tdc/kcc staff working from home (+ other places!) dont need office space we pay for.
    Some parts of kcc/tdc property can be repurposed qquiet easily but they will always be in house red tape appliers.
    The unused port area is being used to accommodate a few large family’s, its the most awful place to live but it can be converted into decent short term/medium term housing. Just needs someone with the can do attitude.

  3. 10 dormitories but only 8 people using it. Rather belies the calls for more space being required. I don’t imagine that the rough sleepers in the lifeboat shelter margate or in tents by the turner have not been offered a bed. Which rather begs the questions, what do they want to get them off the streets? And have they chosen such exposed public spaces for the prominence it gives them?
    The old university accomodation near asda would you’d think be ideal, for both the rough sleepers and families in need of emergency housing. The notion that its unsuitable and needs lots of alteration by the council to become suitable seems rather daft given its only about 20 years old.

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