Up until April 2014, Bridge House was a male only hostel. Due to the lack of accommodation for single homeless females within the area, we decided to open our doors to those females in need of somewhere to live.
The project started with four female beds which were separate to the male only areas of the building and due to its own success, the project has grown considerably and we now have eleven single homeless females living at Bridge House.
We offer the same support as our male residents although we do run a separate ‘Female Project’ where our women are offered separate activities in order that we can get the women to engage with support and each other.
The women we house have their own Transition Coach, Emma, and work well with her to achieve their goals with a view to moving on into independent living. We house a variety of women with multiple complex needs who all have their own individual support requirements.
The project has become a huge success and shows that there is a need for accommodation for single homeless females with 79 bed spaces being used by female residents since April 2014, inclusive of our female only crash pad. Our crash pad can be used in an emergency situation for women who cannot secure accommodation on a temporary basis when we have no available rooms.
We are positive that our project will continue to be successful and hope to continue supporting homeless females in the Stockton area.
