New £2.1million hostel officially opens in Boston - with a long waiting list

The new £2.1 million Framework building in Lincoln Lane was officially opened last week.

All 18 flats for single homeless people with support needs are already occupied - with Framework saying a similar number of people are now on a waiting list.

It is not currently known exactly how many homeless people there are in Boston borough, although Frameworks says that in the past 12 months they have supported 70 homeless people in the town.

Boston Mayor, Coun Anne Dorian, was given the honours of unveiling the new plaque at the building on Thursday.

“Everyone who lives here today and in the future are part of our community and it is incumbent upon all of us to ensure that they feel welcome in it,” she said. "Homelessness if not simply house-lessness. To be homeless is to lack roots, ties to a place or a sense of belonging. This wonderful new facility offers individuals the chance to re-establish connections and gives them a space that can be made personable and comfortable, and most of all – safe.

"The importance of supported accommodation such as this, cannot be overstated."

The accommodation has been called Medlock House in recognition of substantial funding from the Medlock Charitable Trust.

Sandra Blow, Operations Manager for Framework's Lincolnshire services said: "We have 18 units of accommodation here. These one bed self-contained flats are always full and we have just as many people on the waiting list.

"The rise in homelessness over the last ten years has been exponential and we are just trying to do our bit to give people a brighter future."

Staff at Medlock House will be on-site 24 hours a day to manage the building and provide help to the residents, supporting them towards successful long-term resettlement and more independent accommodation.

Every resident has a self-contained flat behind their own front door, each with its own bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living space.

Framework says that people who are referred to Medlock House will have “a range of needs”, some associated with mental ill-health, alcohol or substance misuse and a history of homelessness.

Homelessness charity CRISIS describe homelessness as ‘devastating, dangerous and isolating’, adding: “The average age of death for people experiencing homelessness is 46 for men and 42 for women.”

Homeless people are also statistically over nine times more likely to take their own life than the general population.

The new purpose-built hostel is situated on the site of the former Duke of York pub. It replaces Framework’s former accommodation at South Terrace – an older building that was not purpose-built to house homeless people.

The hostel was completed in December 2020 and initially occupied during the pandemic in January 2021. The opening celebration was delayed due to Covid.