The demolition of an empty building has begun to clear the way for new flats which will be used to get rough sleepers off the streets.

Worthing Borough Council is working with housing association Worthing Homes, homelessness charity Turning Tides and Homes England to create 21 much-needed apartments to prevent people sleeping rough.

Worthing Homes has purchased Skywaves House, an empty building in Ivy Arch Road in Worthing, as a site for the new supported accommodation.

The council and Worthing Homes have secured more than £2.6m of funding for the project from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) via its Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme. DLUHC has also provided the council and Worthing Homes with almost £1.4m to support homelessness provision elsewhere in the borough.The Argus:

Worthing Homes will oversee the construction of the new apartments, which will be managed and run by Turning Tides.

Staff from Turning Tides will provide 24-hour support to the residents, including help with mental and physical health issues, employment and life skills, as well as specialist support for any residents who are dealing with addiction issues. Residents will also be prepared for a move into longer-term, sustainable accommodation.

Councillor Emma Taylor-Beal, Worthing’s cabinet member for housing and citizen services, said: “The housing crisis in Worthing has left scores of citizens at risk every night of having to sleep on the streets.

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    “That is totally unacceptable and I will not rest until we have enough accommodation not just for the seen, but also the unseen who have been left behind by society.

    “These new apartments will allow us to put a roof over the heads of some of the least resilient members of our community.

    “The on-site multi-agency support will ensure that we are able to meet the often multiple, complex needs of each individual and where possible work to enable them to move towards fully independent living.”

    The apartments will form part of a three-storey development on the site, which will also include office space for Turning Tides, the council and partners as well as communal facilities and private gardens for the residents.

    The building will have solar panels installed on its roof and air source heat pumps.

    It is hoped that the first residents will be able to move in in 2025.