Homelessness minister Heather Wheeler visits Mansfield

Heather Wheeler was invited to Framework's Sherwood Street Centre, and met with staff and service users.

The Sherwood Street Centre offers 15 units of high quality emergency accommodation in Mansfield for people who have either been sleeping rough or at immediate risk of doing so.

The service, which accommodates some of the most vulnerable people in our society, is staffed 24 hours a day and is designed to help residents along a journey to independent living in the community.

Mrs Wheeler called the centre 'very impressive' and said the flats were some of the nicest she had seen.

She met service user, David, who has been living in one of the flats since January.

He was sleeping rough and suffered from an ulcer on his leg. but said things have improved for him since staying at Framework, and he now plans to move to be closer to his dad.

Mrs Wheeler took a tour of Mansfield's rough sleeping hotspots, along with Ben Bradley, Mansfield MP, Collette Acton, team leader of the Framework outreach workers, and Andrew Redfern, Framework chief executive.

She said: "I'm really pleased to join Ben and everybody from Framework in Mansfield today, I've met the chief executive of Framework three times and he impresses me enormously with his forensic breakdown of what the issues are.

"I'm also impressed with the way Ben Bradley has absolutely grasped this as one of his most important issues in his constituency.

"It's a pleasure to come and spend so much time here, and we've seen great work in the hostel, and learning about the move-on accommodation and absolutely the priority for quality outreach work."

"The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is paying for that and I'm very proud that we do.