Mansfield District Council’s homelessness temporary accommodation has had a major £1.5m refurbishment.

The complex in Mansfield provides 34 temporary homes for people facing homelessness and the entire building and every self-contained flat has been refurbished and communal areas for residents have been improved.

The work has included new kitchens and bathrooms to each flat, redecoration, a children’s play area and a modernised communal kitchens and living area with new furniture throughout.

New children’s play equipment, both indoors and outdoors, has been a particular new benefit of the upgrade.

placeholder image — New children’s play equipment, both indoors and outdoors, has been a particular new benefit of the upgrade.

At any one time, there can be around 50 children living at the complex. A new and bigger children’s play area, which is completely secure, is something residents particularly requested.

There is also a new separate wellbeing garden for single adults. Inside, a communal day room has been upgraded with a new kitchen and small indoor play area. This room enables the council to offer more ‘cook and eat’ sessions for residents and their families where they can take part in group cooking sessions supported by the council’s health and wellbeing team.

Funding for the refurbishment has come from the Housing Revenue Account capital works budget.

Coun Ann Callaghan, Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: “When people are facing homelessness, it is a distressing time in their lives, and coming to temporary accommodation can be, for many, a scary situation.

“Now it is a warm, bright and welcoming place. The very fact that some residents and their families don’t want to leave demonstrates how much has been achieved here and how hard the team work to make sure everyone is as comfortable as possible.

“The accommodation we can now provide for people facing homelessness has been hugely improved. It is so much better suited to their needs, especially for those with children, who now have a larger secure space to play and let off steam. I would like to thank the tenants for their patience and understanding during what was a challenging process.”

The work comes on the back of Mansfield District Council’s temporary accommodation (TA) service being selected for a national pilot project to improve the experience for people in TA.

The council, leading on behalf of seven housing authorities in Nottinghamshire, is testing new approaches to helping families in a variety of TA settings.