Your honest experiences on living close to homeless shelters please?

[Summergarden]

Work has started on building a large temporary housing unit in close proximity to our home (half a mile away). There will be approx 40 rooms for families and 10 extra for single persons.

I’ve tried to remain open minded about it and know that this type of temporary housing is very much needed but local friends have worried me a bit by voicing concerns regarding likely increases in the crime rate, especially drug dealers loitering around the unit. It is only a few hundred metres from a large secondary school and close to two large primary schools.

If you have personal experience of living close to a similar housing unit and can share your experience of how you have found it, whether you suffered resulting problems (or hopefully didn’t! 😊) etc I would be grateful thanks.

Christ, how dare they utilise a building fit for purpose of the struggling in society and not think of those with warmth, shelter and the rest of their basic (plus not so basic) needs met.

It's 0.4 miles away OP. It's not going to directly effect you.
Why would a homeless shelter mean drug dealers?
Open your eyes to the many reasons behind homelessness - some of the cases are down to drugs/alcohol/mental health, some are just people who've had a shit hand dealt to them.
You could be there in a few months time.

Well I lived IN one once and didn't have any hassle.

"One of my neighbours expressed concern that drug dealers may be attracted to the area and loiter around it"

Your neighbour obviously knows nothing about the proposed accommodation, drug taking or dealing. As well as not understanding the safeguarding of the vulnerable children/people in there.

Drug dealers don't loiter. They get a phone call and have drop off points to do the exchange. They wouldn't risk going to any sort of Unit.
"Intentionally homeless" is a broad term, but one that may be legally true, but life doesn't run like that, especially for the working poor.

The people in the Unit, will probably be working, the Universal Credit has either not covered the rent, or the LL has sold up. As well as a load of other reasons, including relationship breakdown, a lack of suitable Social Housing, Redundancy (does your neighbour read the News, there's shop and warehouses closing weekly. Disability is another.

Brace yourself, though. Some of the children will be going to the local schools. I'd like to hear your neighbours analysis on that.

He needs to stop getting his knowledge of drugs from Eastenders and the Soaps.

Not lived in one but I've volunteered in one for years. Not a family based one either, one for single adult males. The only time the neighbours have ever had issues are when one of the younger lads plays music too loud. This doesn't happen often as if we get complaints their tenancy is then at risk.

Some of them do take drugs. It's usually just smoking weed and they don't do it on the premises as it's not allowed. The harder drug users (recovering heroin addicts etc) are actually a lot more vulnerable and tend to be a lot less trouble.

I lived in one. It was really quiet. Never heard neighbours, never had any problems. Just people who kept themselves to themselves. A few single mothers. That was about it.

Far more likely to have problems with drug dealers around your immediate neighbours houses where they're not monitored.

I think you’re getting some harsh responses here. I work near a homeless hostel and there are a lot of people hanging around drinking in the street, frequent police visits and lots of drug paraphernalia on the street (eg. Needles and those silver canisters). But half a mile is probably far enough that you won’t be affected plus, it seems that the majority of accommodation Is for families which sounds promising.

Where we used to live there was a large hostel for ex young offenders on the next street. We never noticed any problems. We didn't know what the building was used for until we had lived there for 3 years.

So 'local friends have worried me' has now become 'one neighbour has warned me'. Right. This is just nimby.

I found in a whole them to be respectable individuals- obviously there was a few exceptions to that. Just because they are homeless doesn't mean they cause trouble (I know you wasnt saying that) they could have broken up with their partner cant afford to live alone and that's when the slippery slope starts sadly.

I lived about the same distance from one for 3 years and didn't even know that's what it was until someone mentioned it in passing - it just looked like a low rise block of flats and there was never any trouble.

Drug dealers tend not to want to draw attention to themselves, what with doing something illegal and all, so are not going to be causing unspecified trouble for random kids in the street.

Honestly I think you and your paranoid neighbour need to do a bit of research into what makes people homeless these days.

Half a mile ? That's a long way not next door!

I work opposite a single persons unit and I personally wouldn't want to live next door (but a friend does) some of the residents are nice, others are alcoholics. There's at least 3 within a mile of here, the one that's trouble is is the bail hostel, but they need to live somewhere. 1/2 mile is nimbyism at its extreme!

We live about half a mile away from one and it’s right by our public transport hub so I walk past it frequently. Never seen or heard any problems.

My next door neighbour in his smart, owned property caused me no end of drama with his drug dealing.

Your neighbour is a NIMBY and really seems to have no understanding of homelessness or drug dealing.

From that distance I don't think it would make much difference to your life at all, half a mile is not close.

I live on the same road as a unit of a similar size and it was okay when it first opened then there was some trouble with groups of people hanging around outside getting a bit drunk and lairy and shouty at people walking by and some vandalism to the local area. We have organised a neighbourhood watch and with the support of the police the management of the unit have increased the staffing and set down rules so that seems to have stopped.

I wouldn’t worry. The fact that it will be housing families suggests that individuals who are a danger to society won’t be housed there along side innocent children. Re drug dealers I would imagine that, if this shelter is well run, they won’t have many customers (not long term ones anyway). I would be more concerned about the neighbours in private housing attracting dealers than a temporary accodatiob facility.

You need to understand what homeless means.
People whose landlords have not renewed contracts.
People whose families have said they can't live there anymore.
People who have had their house repossessed.
Someone seeking refuge in our country.
Someone who has ended up on the streets because life is very difficult sometimes.
People escaping abusive relationships.
People who have a family member who is very disabled and needs specialist accommodation and can no longer live in their house.

You are coming across very narrow minded.

What do you mean by “intentionally homeless families” OP?

Half a mile

I spent 2 years living literally next door to a bail and probation hostel. It took 6 months for us to work out what we were living next door to. My main irritation with them was that they wouldn't take in parcels like normal next door neighbours.

What do you mean by “intentionally homeless families” OP?

It's a technical term so probably appears on the mission statement of the shelter.

Means families who are deemed to have either turned down a suitable property or failed to maintain the terms of a tenancy they had (eg not paid rent).

Unfortunately can mean families ego have simply hit a crisis or have been offered really unsuitable accommodation and turned it down (eg mum and kids choosing not to accept a property near to violent and dangerous ex)

Thanks for the new and polite answers, some really helpful and reassuring information which I really appreciate.

I made pretty clear in my OP that I was only looking for actual experiences of people who had lived near similar units. As it seems that a significant minority of replies are from people who haven’t but simply posted to be rude or patronising I won’t be coming back to this thread again.

Why would potential drug dealers be a threat to children going to and from school? If they wanted to target these children they would be there anyway!

This stuff makes me sad and angry. People are happy to acknowledge that others need help, but only if that help doesn't come anywhere near them.

I work on the outskirts of a city. There is a street which is full of huge terraced town houses. I've lost count of how many are used to house people with various desperate needs. There are homeless shelters, alcohol and drug rehab houses, young adult society integration units, half way houses, an asylum seeker advice centre and goodness knows what else as many of the units are not clearly marked to show what they do.

As I drive past I can see that the residents of these places are by and large struggling, the poverty is extreme and the local chemist overrun twice a day with people queuing for their Methodone. It's so sad that they have all been placed in one street- these places should be spaced out in thriving communities so they don't feel like they've been placed in some sort of place where no one cares.

We have never had any issues at work with any residents or visitors. It seems that the staff and police are very tuned in and deal with any issues that arise.

My friend lives next door to a small hostel. It's not great. Lots of loud, drunk blokes. One very aggressive man who shouts abuse. I don't think it's staffed though. As others say, it probably depends on how well its run and who the clients are (families or addicts).

tbh in any city everyone is going to be living within half a mile from some temporary accommodation or rehab houses or a refuge.

Summergarden, I live in London. There are several hostels, temporary housing units, refuges and other facilities within half a mile of my house. That my kids walk last. Just a normal part of life.

I started the ‘FFS’ response. OK it was rude but based on a reaction which I stand by.

Another OP throwing her toys out of her pram because not everyone shares the same "concerns" prejudices