The Ethandune Hostel in TrowbridgeTHE closure of a west Wiltshire temporary housing hostel could make life even harder for homeless people.

The Ethandune Hostel in Trowbridge is to be sold and accommodation in Warminster and Melksham may also shut down.

The hostels, run by the district council, offer temporary housing to those in need.

The council say the current situation is uneconomic but homeless workers say the lost hostel will put further strain on an already difficult situation.

Marco Van-Tintelen, project manager at the Trowbridge-based Action on Homelessness, said all three hostels provide a vital service.

"There is a lot of demand for the housing already, so this will just put more of a strain on the other facilities," he said.

"Every single time I phone the hostels, all three seem to be full. My main concern is where are these people going to go if one or more of the hostels close down."

Action on Homelessness offers support across west Wiltshire but offers a day service rather than a bed for the night.

Mr Van-Tintelen said: "Hopefully we will be able to increase our facilities.

"We try and get people into private sector accommodation but this is obviously very expensive and not everyone can afford it.

"I would be concerned for the people that are living in the Trowbridge hostel at the moment."

The council currently operates three hostels, Kingsbury Square in Melksham, Ethandune in Trowbridge and Hillside in Warminster, as well as using private sector leased properties.

It says Ethandune needs substantial repairs and it currently provides unsuitable and uneconomic accommodation.

The cabinet agreed in January to sell the building and a project group is now looking at options for providing temporary housing across the district.

Graham Hogg, housing services manager, said: "We know that Ethandune is being sold, and that our other hostels both need investment.

"We therefore need to consider whether hostel accommodation is still appropriate, or whether we can use our resources in another way to secure better housing by different means."

Last month, 51 households were accommodated in the three hostels, with 81 in private sector leased properties.

Mr Hogg said: "We have significantly increased the use of private sector leased homes, thanks to our partnership with the Sarsen Housing Association.

"I suspect that this type of temporary accommodation is preferable to many homeless people, as it provides self-contained homes in many more locations around the district.

"However, we are just about to carry out a survey of people in temporary accommodation to find out what their priorities are."

The project group will bring a report back to the cabinet in April, setting out its proposals. The council anticipate by this time they will have found a buyer for Ethandune.

Cllr Virginia Fortescue, housing portfolio holder, said: "The hostel will remain open until alternative arrangements for temporary accommodation have been agreed and put into place.

"The sale will not proceed until we have found suitable alternative housing for anyone living in Ethandune."