Brighton Housing Trust (BHT) has announced the appointment of Nikki Homewood as its new director for homelessness and complex needs services.

Nikki was previously manager of First Base Day Centre, which works with up to 200 homeless and vulnerable men and women each day.

Her new responsibilities include managing a range of projects across the city and managing contracts with Brighton and Hove City Council and the Brighton and Hove Primary Care Trust.

She will be in charge of Regency House and Olympus House, which provide shelter for 64 homeless people.

Regency House is currently undergoing a major refurbishment which is due for completion in May next year when the joint capacity of the two services will increase to 89 residents. Nikki will be responsible for 45 members of staff and a budget of £1.8 million.

She said: "Brighton and Hove is a wonderful place to live and work. But the city faces many challenges and homelessness remains a significant one."

BHT chief executive Andy Winter said: "There are few people more knowledgeable about homelessness than Nikki. She brings an uncompromising approach to ensure services of the highest quality are available to clients."